Preventing Silicosis
An ancient disease in modern times: Silicosis caused by artificial stone in the United States
May 16, 2024 – All Day – UCLA
The purpose of this conference is to bring together affected workers, employers and manufacturers with researchers, unions, community-based organizations and other stakeholders to develop practical and feasible solutions to prevent silicosis caused by artificial stone.
Key Questions:
- What factors are driving the current epidemic of silicosis among artificial stone workers?
- What are the needs of affected workers, employers, and silicosis patients?
- What research gaps exist?
- What interventions are available to protect workers and prevent new silicosis cases?
Desired Outcomes: Develop a research agenda and a concrete set of recommendations that could be implemented in the California context and shared with other impacted communities.
Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are available for REHS, BCSP, BRN, and General CEUs.
- Download the Event Flyer
- Download the Event Agenda
- Download the Presentation Slides under the presenter’s name in the agenda below.
Agenda
8:30 am – WELCOME AND OPENING REMARKS
Rachael Jones, PhD, CIH
Director, UCLA Center for Occupational and Environmental Health and Southern California NIOSH Education and Research Center
View or download the presentation slides.
Jane Fazio, MD
Clinical Instructor, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at UCLA
8:45 am – SILICOSIS FROM ENGINEERED STONE: BACKGROUND AND SCOPE OF THE PROBLEM
Public health surveillance:
Kristin Cummings, MD, MPH
Chief, Occupational Health Branch, CDPH
View or download the presentation slides.
Physician and patient perspective:
Jane Fazio, MD
Clinical Instructor, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, UCLA
Industry perspective:
Jim Hieb
Chief Executive Officer, Natural Stone Institute
View or download the presentation slides.
Nate Kolenski
President, Block Tops, Inc.
Ted Sherritt
Chief Executive Officer, International Surface Fabricators Association (ISFA)
Moderated by
Robert Harrison, MD, MPH
Public Health Medical Officer, Occupational Health Branch, California Department of Public Health (CDPH)
10:20 am – ISSUES IN SCREENING, DIAGNOSIS, AND WORKPLACE CONTROLS
Medical screening, diagnosis and treatment:
Sheiphali Gandhi, MD, MPH
Assistant Professor of Medicine; Occupational, Environmental, and Climate Medicine; and Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, UCSF
View or download the presentation slides.
Exposure and control technologies:
Jenny Houlroyd, DrPH, CIH
Occupational Health Group Manager, Safety, Health, Environmental Services (SHES) at Georgia Tech
View or download the presentation slides.
Moderated by
Ximena Vergara, PhD, MPH
Chief, Hazard Evaluation System and Information Service (HESIS), Occupational Health Branch, CDPH
11:45 am – LUNCH AND FACILITATED BREAKOUTS
Breakout A: Screening, diagnosis and treatment
Facilitated by
Robert Harrison, MD, MPH
Public Health Medical Officer, Occupational Health Branch, CDPH
Breakout B: Implementing silica dust controls and other measures: successes, challenges, and barriers
Facilitated by
David Harrington, MPH
Cal/OSHA Consultation Service (retired)
Breakout C: Outreach, training, and support resources
Facilitated by
Kevin Riley, PhD, MPH
Director, UCLA Labor Occupational Safety and Health Program
Lisa Patrick-Mudd, MPH
Program Manager, Public Health Councils Program, LACDPH
1:45 pm – KEYNOTE: PERSPECTIVES AND LESSONS FROM AUSTRALIA
Dr. Ryan Hoy, MBBS, FRACP, Respiratory and Sleep Disorders Physician, Senior Research Fellow, Monash Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Public Health & Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University.
View or download the presentation slides.
3:00 pm – SOLUTIONS FOR CALIFORNIA AND BEYOND
Role of local Public Health Departments:
Nichole Quick, MD, MPH
Deputy Director for Health Protection Bureau, LACDPH
View or download the presentation slides.
Cal/OSHA’s emergency rulemaking:
Michael Wilson, PhD, MPH, CIH
Senior Safety Engineer, Research and Standards, Cal/OSHA
View or download the presentation slides.
Role of industry in solutions:
Jim Hieb
Chief Executive Officer, Natural Stone Institute
View or download the presentation slides.
Role of occupational medicine in solutions:
Robert Blink, MD, MPH
Occupational and Environmental Medicine,
Worksite Partners Medical Group, Inc.
View or download the presentation slides.
Workforce development:
Jeremy Smith
Deputy Legislative Director, State Building Construction Trades Council
Moderated by
Rachael Jones, PhD, CIH
Director, UCLA Center for Occupational and Environmental Health and UCLA-UCI Southern California NIOSH Education and Research Center
4:45 pm – SYNTHESIS OF DAY AND NEXT STEPS
Rachael Jones, PhD, CIH
Director, UCLA Center for Occupational and Environmental Health and UCLA-UCI Southern California NIOSH Education and Research Center
Jane Fazio, MD
Clinical Instructor, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at UCLA
The Southern California NIOSH Education and Research Center (SCERC) designates this conference activity for a maximum of 8.0 continuing education contact hours. To receive continuing education hours, participants should claim hours based on the extent of their participation on the evaluation form that will be distributed at the end of the conference. For questions regarding continuing education hours, please contact erc@ph.ucla.edu.
- Board of Global EHS Credentialing: Certified Industrial Hygienists (CIH) may be eligible to earn up to 8.0 contact hours for this event. Visit https://gobgc.org/applicants_CIH/ for more information.
- Registered Environmental Health Specialists (REHS): REHS may be eligible to earn up to 8.0 contact hours for this event. The SCERC is an REHS Continuing Education Accrediting Agency approved by the California Department of Public Health.
- Nurses: Provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider #17741, for 8.0 contact hours.
- Board of Certified Safety Professionals: Certified Safety Professionals may be eligible to earn up to 0.50 points for this event. Visit https://online.fliphtml5.com/pbcyp/eprz/#p=18 for more information.
- General credits: Continuing Education Units — .8
Tell us about your experience with this post-event evaluation survey. Response to this survey is required for CEU certificate seekers.
Tell us about your experience with this post-event evaluation survey. Response to this survey is required for CEU certificate seekers.
View or download the Preventing Silicosis Network Directory, a list of contact information by sector for individuals who agreed to be listed. To be added or removed from the directory, contact coeh@ph.ucla.edu.