Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board

The California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board will meet next Thursday, May 21, in Downtown Los Angeles to discuss and vote on a petition submitted by the Western Occupational and Environmental Medical Association (WOEMA).

In California, across the United States, and internationally, a growing epidemic of silicosis – an occupational lung disease – is being observed as a result of exposure to respirable crystalline silica from engineered stone. According to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), as of May 7, 2026, 556 confirmed cases of silicosis attributed to engineered stone have been identified in California. Of these cases, 283 have been identified in Los Angeles County and 120 in Orange County. These numbers are anticipated to only represent the tip of the ice berg.

In light of this, WOEMA has petitioned the Standards Board to amend existing regulation (T8 CCR Section 5204 – Occupational Exposures to Respirable Crystalline Silica) to prohibit all fabrication and installation tasks involving engineered stone that contains more than 1% crystalline silica. Refer to recommendations from the ‘Preventing Silicosis‘ report and slides released following the conference hosted by UCLA COEH for more details on the epidemic and what can be done to curb it.