Topline Counters LLC, Sumner: Washington L&I silica citation

Silica dust: the findings

• The stone hand-finishing area exposed workers to respirable crystalline silica at levels more than 10 times the permissible limit. Half-face respirators were handed out, but they don't protect enough at that level.
• Annual fit-testing hadn't happened since January 2019, and workers with facial hair had to use tight-fitting respirators.
• Even though silica exposures exceeded the permissible limit in the stone fabrication area, no written respiratory protection program existed.
• Medical surveillance wasn't given to silica-exposed workers, and the written silica exposure control plan had no task, control, or housekeeping descriptions.

More hazards in this citation

• Medical evaluations weren't provided to workers who had to wear respirators. L&I counted it as a repeat of a violation cited on 12/18/2018.
• During the inspection, two violations got corrected: the facial-hair seal one and the one for the written respiratory program.

The employer's time to answer the citation: Once cited, the employer could appeal within 15 working days. The employer had to post the citation, fix each violation by its deadline (8/13/2020 and 9/2/2020), and send back the abatement certification with the requested documentation. The payment was due 15 working days after receipt.

For those who worked at Topline Counters

Most new US silicosis cases these days come from shops that cut quartz or other engineered stone. Two claims may be available to you if you cut, ground, or polished slabs for Topline Counters in Sumner: a suit against the companies that made the stone, plus workers' comp through the employer's insurance.