Page 13 - Demo

Slippery Rock Gazette
This is Happening...
February 2024 | 13
WEhave all been reveling in the engineered stone (quartz) boom. Avanza, Cambria, Vicostone, PentalQuartz, Q Quartz, Alleanza, Silestone, Viatera, etcetera, etcetera. The list seems endless. New brands pop up every day. New colors and styles arrive
almost as often.
The Breton technology revolutionized the engineered stone creation process, making it a consistently, in most cases, beautiful product that enhanced the décor of homes and businesses as well.
Granted, when ES first appeared on the stone scene, some shops fought it, still lean- ing toward the natural stone their business was created on. However, as time went by, engineered stone sales grew quickly. In a lot of areas, engineered stone outsells nat- ural stone by a large margin. It has been a boom for many shops in our industry.
Now, let’s address the elephant in the room... Silicosis. If you have worked in the industry for more than say...10 min- utes, you know what Silicosis is. In case you don’t know, Silicosis is a treatable but incurable lung disease that can be fatal. It is caused by breathing in fine silica dust and is considered to be one of the most lethal occupational hazards. Natural stone, like granite and marble do have some silica naturally occurring in them.
The prevention of Silicosis is why we do a lot of the special fabrication procedures in this industry. We cut using water. We use vacuum tools to capture the dust and we wear masks and respirators, just to name a few. OSHA has set strict guidelines for how much silica dust we can be exposed to, and the fines are steep for non-compli- ance, either willfully or by accident.
So why are we talking about engineered stone and Silicosis both at the same time? Because, my friends, they are connected. And not in a good way. Marble normally has a silica content of 10% or less. Granite usually contains 45% or less. Engineered stone tops the list at a normal 90% silica rate or higher.
What does all this mean? It means that silicosis cases worldwide have risen expo- nentially with the rise in engineered stone sales and fabrication and because of this, bigger things are starting to happen.
In December 2023, the Australian gov- ernment issued a national ban on the
Sharon Koehler
Stone Industry Consultant
manufacture, supply, and use of engineered stone. It was a unanimous decision of all of Australia’s Commonwealth, state, and territory workplace ministers. The ban goes into effect this coming July 1, 2024.
Meanwhile, closer to home: This past December 2023, the State of California Department of Industrial Relations issued an emergency, temporary standard on crys- talline silica to help protect workers from the disease. It outlines methods of compli- ance, respiratory protection, housekeep- ing procedures and more. You can check it out at the CA Department of Industrial Relations website: https://www.dir.ca.gov/ DIRNews/2023/2023-93.html.
These two most recent mandates from Australia and California are the latest in a long series of warnings about engineered stone and silicosis. It’s been going on for years, but the Australian ban is by far the most severe and attention-getting piece of news to hit this industry in quite a while. Will it open the floodgates? Who knows.
If you are confused (like a lot of us are) about the standards and requirements for silica dust exposure and disease preven- tion, OSHA has many resources dedicated to this issue. The OSHA Education Center has a Silica Awareness Course: https:// www.oshaeducationcenter.com/ . Just type silica training in the search bar and select Crystalline Silica Awareness. They also have numerous documents and web pages dedicated to this issue. (Beware: They hav- en’t revised their standards for silica expo- sure in construction for several years. However, they currently have an on-go- ing study focused on this issue and many are predicting standard changes because of this study.)
Please turn to page 15
T
he Natural Stone Institute wel- comed two individuals to its board of directors in January 2024:
Natural Stone Institute Announces New Board Members
Kim Dumais, Miller Druck Specialty Contracting, Inc.
Kim Dumais has been the Sales & Logistics Manager of Miller Druck Specialty Contracting, Inc. in New York, NY for the past 27 years and has worked in the indus- try for 34 years. Miller Druck specializes in commercial fabrication and installa- tion. Over the years, her role has become multifaceted to include all aspects of the stone industry, starting as early as design development and continuing through- out installation and final completion. Kim has been a steering committee member of the Women in Stone initiative since its inception in 2014 and served as its chair from 2016-2018. Additionally, she has chaired many Women in Stone subcom- mittees over the years and participated in the Mentorship Program from the onset. She was honored to be the recipient of the 2022 Women in Stone Pioneer Award.
Alexandra Niedbalski, Polycor, Inc.
With 19 years of leadership experience in the natural stone industry, Alexandra has a strong background that includes her recent role as Chief Public Relations Officer and prior years as Senior Vice President of Sales at Polycor, the world’s largest nat- ural stone company. As an owner and part of the senior management team, she has gained extensive knowledge in both res- idential and commercial sectors across Europe, Brazil, and North America. Alexandra’s passion lies in promoting and branding natural stone, especially among young professionals, distributors, fabri- cators, and architects. She is enthusiastic about contributing actively to NSI and sup- porting its growth.
Dumais and Niedbalski were formally welcomed to the board during the first meeting of 2024 at StonExpo. The Natural Stone Institute would also like to thank their outgoing board members: Jonathan Mitnick (CCS Stone) and Buddy Ontra (Ontra Stone Concepts) will conclude their board service at the January 2024 board meeting.
Kim Dumais, Miller Druck Specialty Contracting
Alexandra Niedbalski, Polycor
The Natural Stone Institute is a trade asso- ciation representing every aspect of the nat- ural stone industry. The current membership exceeds 2,000 members in over 50 nations. The association offers a wide array of tech- nical and training resources, professional development opportunities, regulatory advo- cacy, and networking events. Two prominent publications—the Dimension Stone Design Manual and Building Stone Magazine—raise awareness within the natural stone industry and in the design community for best prac- tices and uses of natural stone. Learn more at www.naturalstoneinstitute.org.
“What is it that affectionate par- ents require of their Children; for all their care, anxiety, and toil on their accounts? Only that they would be wise and virtuous, Benevolent and kind.”
–Abigail Adams