Nadrich Accident Injury Lawyers, a California-based personal injury law firm, is supporting SB-20, a recently proposed bill that would protect workers in the stone cutting and processing industry from silicosis, a devastating, potentially fatal disease.
The bill would:
- Prohibit the use of dangerous “dry methods” to create stone countertops
- Lead to the creation of a training curriculum covering the safe conduct of manufacturing activities
- Lead to the creation of a certification process that strengthens Cal/OSHA safety standards and requires all manufacturing workers to complete a training program
- Enable manufacturing companies to obtain 3-year certifications proving they meet criteria established by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH).
- Prohibit the sale of solid surface panel products to manufacturers who do not have valid certification
- Lead to the creation of a public database and tracking system that displays information about manufacturing operations' certification status and compliance with Cal/OSHA safety standards
Jeffrey Nadrich, the firm's founding attorney, explained the significance of the bill.
“Silicosis is a terrible, often fatal disease and cases of it are constantly increasing. This bill is necessary to protect California’s stone workers from this truly terrible disease,” Nadrich said.
The CDPH reported a 92 percent increase in silicosis cases in California between July 2023 and December 2023, including 10 deaths. This led to OSHA proposing an emergency regulation for silicosis on December 14, 2023.
Silicosis is an incurable lung disease that is often fatal. The only known cause is inhalation of silica dust.
Stone workers are at high risk of developing silicosis because shaping and cutting countertops can produce high levels of silica dust. Workers who work with engineered stone are at particularly high risk because engineered stone produces more silica dust during cutting and shaping. In order to reduce quartz dust exposure in the workplace, legal protective measures are required.
About Nadrich Accident and Injury Lawyers
Nadrich Accident Injury Lawyers is a California personal injury law firm with 17 offices throughout California. Her legal team represents individuals in cases involving exposure to hazardous substances such as silica dust, asbestos, paraquat and Roundup. The firm has more than three decades of experience representing clients and has brought in over $750 million for clients.
