Continental Brick Co., Martinsburg: OSHA silica citation

Inspection reason: The company reportedly failed to give workers personal protective equipment while they worked around silica-containing materials.

Silica dust: the findings

• Respirators weren't provided by the company, and workers weren't required to wear them where silica exposure went above the limit.
• Adequate controls, both engineering and work practice, were not put in place by the company.
• Scheduled exposure monitoring was not carried out by the company, and it set up no regulated decontamination areas.
• No medical surveillance program was offered by the company to employees whose exposure reached or passed the action level.

The employer's time to answer the citation: Once it received the citations and penalties, the company had 15 working days to comply, to ask OSHA's area director for an informal conference, or to challenge the findings before the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission, an independent body.

Did you work at Continental Brick?

Grinding and firing silica-rich materials is everyday work at brick and clay plants, so the dust comes with the job. Did you work at Continental Brick in Martinsburg? If so, a silicosis claim typically starts with workers' comp, and a lawyer can see if others share fault too.