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I'm not a masonry\stonework expert. Someone more knowledgeable may correct me. This issue may be lawyer overreach and or overreacting. Worker respiratory safety gear is standard on processing engineered stone, natural stone, cement, resins, and or anything requiring grinding, polishing, even in the sandblasting business.
If OSHA is finding employers harming their employees -- that is a litigious thing. If OSHA is finding a trend increase in the trades skill industry -- then the entire trade (stonework) is scrutinized. If migrant workers, in the trades, are harmed more often then that is another πππ§π issue.
The cultured, artificial, or engineered stone product was invented so we don't have to quarry the real thing -- where silicosis risk is highest.
Australia banned engineered stone in 2024, finding it could not be worked with safely.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-12-13/engineered-stone-ban-discussed-at-ministers-meeting/103224362
Jesus, the company quoted in that article, Ceaserstone, really suck balls. 'we're deeply disappointed by the decision to stop us killing young working men' 'we feel we should be allowed to kill just a few more, so that our profits don't suffer too much'
There is no reason to use this fake stone. Alternatives exist.
If you use a wet stone or grinder, you still make fine particles. When these dry up and become powder again you can get infected. You can't get rid of the dust in such a way that it doesn't become a problem for someone else.
Sure can, you just use vacuums or air suction to filter it and it goes in bags. And generally a powder like that will be very different after getting wet, it's more likely to clump together and not be as dusty anyway.
That's not always true. For example concrete/cement would be great at clumping and staying clumped. Silica on the other hand may not do that always. If you charge those particles with static from motion they won't want to stick together. Or if they're clumped and dry they'll come apart again. If your particle size is smaller than 1um your vacuum will be literally blasting this stuff into fumes all over the place and well charged statically.
I'm curious why target common silicon dioxide (silica) when cheap $100 air quality monitors (including detection of static VOCs) exist that measure down to 0.3um. Wide application ranges at that low (unfilterable) range. From steam discharge monitoring, to oll vapours, to chemical fumes, to residential air quality on weather stations.
I think you're placing too much faith in just the existence of good equipment to keep workers safe.
Good safe equipment does exist, But 1) It only works to protect employees health if it's in good condition, and 2) Depending on employers who aren't cheap enough or ignorant enough to use inferior equipment that will indirectly endanger employees' health.
It's more reliable just to require use of safe materials, especially if there isn't much cost difference.
Particle counters are good. But they only tell you about what's happening near the worksite. Remember the advice of walking 6ft apart so you wouldn't catch covid, but then it turned out to be wack? Same here. You get a particle in the wrong place at the wrong time and you'll develop cancer.
Air filters do just fine with silica dust, it clogs filters faster but just needs more bag changes.