Increased Silicosis Limitations for Countertop Industry May Be a Forgone Conclusion

While many of you are undoubtedly dealing with issues stemming from the severe cold and snow, you have probably also  been alerted to another concern from several authoritative sources, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, (CDC), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Marble Institute of America (MIA) and the Construction Industry Safety Coalition (CISC). 

The saga began in August 2013 when federal OSHA issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in regards to respirable crystalline Silica, which is known to directly cause several serious health conditions, including silicosis, lung cancer and kidney disease. Because granite is largely made up of quartz (silica), soon afterward, the MIA and Natural Stone Council (NSC) began to support the efforts of the CISC in opposing the proposed rule, which would lower the allowable exposure rate from 250 mcg/ cubic meter (m³) of air to 50 mcg/m³.

The following March, public hearings were held to collect input about the proposed rule change. The CISC was very active in its effort to oppose the rule change, citing that lowering levels is technologically infeasible, economically infeasible and unnecessary. Since the end of the public hearings, nothing more was heard until a report was issued by the CDC on February 13 of this year stating that the United States has joined Italy, Spain and Israel as countries where cases of silicosis have been confirmed to be attributed to countertop fabrication, specifically to engineered stone or quartz surfacing.

According to the article, the Texas Department of State Health "reported the first case of silicosis associated with exposure to quartz surfacing materials in North America." It went on to say that the increased use of silica-containing materials poses greater risk of silica exposure.

Only one week after the CDC report was published, OSHA and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) issued an official Hazard Alert regarding Worker Exposure to Silica during Countertop Manufacturing, Finishing and Installation.  

According to the MIA, these Hazard Alerts are a precursor of an impending rule change, which means that they exposure limit may soon be lowered to 50 mcg/m³ when dealing with all silica-containing countertop materials - granite, quartz surfacing, quartzite, etc. According to the alert, silica exposure "can be mitigated with simple and effective dust controls in most countertop operations."

At this point, it seems that very little can be done to prevent the new rule from being implemented. OSHA is expected to continue analyzing the 10,000 pages of comments the organization has received through the middle of this year, but new information and comments are no longer being officially considered.

Please stay tuned to CountertopResource.com for further information concerning this issue, and be aware that specific safety measures must be taken in order to comply with the current rule, which is already lower than the federal limit in several states, such as Oregon and California.

For more information about federal and state silica limits or how to comply with these limits, please contact your state OSHA office, a trusted independent consultant or publications provided by industry trade associations, such as Silicosis: An Industry Guide to Awareness and Prevention, published by the MIA. 

Countertop Businesses and Fabricators in California

California: Known variously as The Land of Milk and Honey, The El Dorado State, The Golden State, and The Grape State, joined the Union on September 9, 1850.

In 1542 Spanish explorer Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo sailed into San Diego Bay, then continued north along the coast, making frequent trips ashore to claim land for Spain. On Jan. 24, 1848, James W. Marshall discovered gold at Sutter's Mill, starting the California Gold Rush and bringing settlers to the state in large numbers.  During the gold rush of 1849, miners sent their laundry to Honolulu for washing and pressing. Due to the extremely high costs in California during these boom years, it was deemed more feasible to send their shirts to Hawaii for servicing.

Now, one out of every eight United States residents lives in California.

People in California still need countertops, and there are plenty of places to supply them. You can find a list of countertop businesses in California here!

There are still some inconsistencies to the list, but we are working to correct them and I just couldn't wait to share it.

This is a sneak peek at our efforts to compile the most complete list of countertop fabricators in the United States from A to Z. We will be working on Colorado next and hope to give you a look at that list as soon as its available. And you will find it here first.

In coming weeks (and likely months), we will be compiling lists for all 50 states, and once we get them done, we will seek input from the industry to make sure everything is in order before we release the information to the public.

We think this is going to be very popular with the countertop community and very useful for those seeking new countertops.

Let us know what you think!

On the Floor at KBIS 2015 and TISE

It’s been three weeks since the end of Design & Construction Week, but if you are anything like us, it has taken this long just to get back into the swing of a standard work week. For the second year in a row, the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS) was co-located with the International Builders’ Show (IBS), and this year the two shows held at the Las Vegas Convention Center were joined by The International Surface Event (TISE), which was hosted by the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, also in Las Vegas.
For us here at CountertopResource.com, this was an exceptional event because it is the first that I personally had the pleasure of attending. I had a fantastic time meeting many of our longtime readers and clients in person for the first time and chatting with representatives and owners of some of the most prominent companies in the countertop industry. Not only was the show interesting and exciting on a personal level, it marked an upswing in overall attendance and the industry in general.
Design & Construction Week was held this year from January 20 to 22. It was the 51st annual event for KBIS, and including attendees and exhibitors at IBS, 2015 was a “banner year.” More than 500 exhibitors were on the floor in both the North Hall and South Hall while IBS was held in the Center Hall. The addition of the South Hall provided an extra 500,000 square feet of floor space for exhibitors and on-floor programming. Overall, 3,750 exhibitors spread across 4.7 million square feet of floor space participated in Design & Construction Week.

In all, more than 125,000 dealers, designers, suppliers and builders participated in the event, which is an increase of 5 percent over last year. In addition, more than 300 media representatives were on hand to cover what is the largest platform devoted to the kitchen & bath industry in North American. According to the Las Vegas Review, Design & Construction Week helps to make January one of the busiest months of the year for the Convention Center. “Everything about this year’s show lived up to the promise of bigger, better and bolder,” said Bill Darcy, CEO of the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA). “We were thrilled not only by the turnout but by how many innovations were introduced by exhibitors this year. We couldn't be happier that the industry sees KBIS as the platform to successfully launch new products.”

Brian Pagel, vice president of the kitchen and bath division of Emerald Expositions, the company producing the show, also released a statement about the event. “KBIS 2015 and our participation in Design & Construction Week was a huge success. We are incredibly excited about the future of these events given the prospect of a stronger housing market in 2015.”

At KBIS 2015, I was able to get a few sneak peeks at some of the latest technologies and designs from a few of the most prominent surfacing manufacturers in the world. Formica had two new collections on display, and Wilsonart announced the company was introducing a new line of quartz surfacing (although I kind of had the scoop on that a little bit early. A few miles away at the Mandalay Convention Center, TISE was being held in conjunction with Design & Construction Week. Last year, the event included SURFACES and StonExpo/Marmomacc Americas, and this year, it was co-launched with the all-new TileExpo, which brought together professionals from the stone, tile and flooring industries.

At TISE, I was in awe at some of the state-of-the art machinery that was brought out to display. One of the most prominent and impressive of these was the RoboSawJet from BACA Systems. However, Park Industries also made a distinct impression with the STORM Multi-Blade System and the HydroClear 90 water treatment system. Finally, I would be negligent if I failed to mention that ETemplate Systems walked away with the 2015 StonExpo Technology Award for its ELaser 3-D and 2-D measuring system. Back at KBIS and IBS, representatives from the NKBA and the National Home Builders’ Association (NHBA), announced that the two shows will continue to co-locate through 2020, and KBIS 2016 is scheduled for January 19 through January 21 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. I am already excited for what this event will bring, and I hope to see you all there. And apparently TISE will once again be going on in conjunction with the other shows! I think it will be another one to remember...

Countertop Businesses and Fabricators in Arkansas

Arkansas: Officially known as the Natural State, became the 25th state on June 15, 1836. 
In 1541, Hernando DeSoto became the first European to visit the land that would become Arkansas, which had already been occupied by Native Americans for some 11,000 years. Marquette and Joliet followed in 1673 and in 1682 LaSalle claimed possession of the territory in the name of France. The first permanent European settlement in what is now Arkansas was established by Henri DeTonti in 1686 at Arkansas Post. In 1803, the United States purchased the Louisiana Territory (including Arkansas) from France for $15 million, bringing Arkansas for the first time under the U.S. flag.
Among the state's greatest assets are its seven national park sites, 2.6 million acres of national forest lands, 13 major lakes, and two mountain ranges.

People in Arkansas still need countertops, and there are plenty of places to supply them. You can find a list of countertop businesses in Arkansas here!

There are still some inconsistencies to the list, but we are working to correct them and I just couldn't wait to share it.

This is a sneak peek at our efforts to compile the most complete list of countertop fabricators in the United States from A to Z. We will be working on California next and hope to give you a look at that list as soon as its available. And you will find it here first.

In coming weeks (and likely months), we will be compiling lists for all 50 states, and once we get them done, we will seek input from the industry to make sure everything is in order before we release the information to the public.

We think this is going to be very popular with the countertop community and very useful for those seeking new countertops.

Let us know what you think!

Countertop Businesses and Fabricators in Arizona

Arizona: The 48th state is known as the Grand Canyon State and also as the Nation's Valentine because it joined the Union on February 14, 1912.
Spanish Franciscan friar, Marcos de Niza, was the first European to explore Arizona. He entered the area in 1539 in search of the mythical Seven Cities of Gold. Although he was followed a year later by another gold seeker, Francisco Vásquez de Coronado, most of the early settlement was for missionary purposes.
The name Arizona comes from a Spanish version of the Pima Indian word arizonac for place of the small spring or from the Aztec's arizuma meaning silver bearing.
The sun shines in Southern Arizona 85% of the time, which is considerably more than Florida or Hawaii! At one time camels were used to transport goods across Arizona! But since the Southern Pacific Railroad connected Arizona to the eastern states in 1926, we can get supplies to them much easier now.
Arizonans still need countertops, and there are plenty of places to supply them. You can find a list of countertop businesses in Arizona here!

There are still some inconsistencies to the list, but we are working to correct them and I just couldn't wait to share it.

This is a sneak peek at our third installment of our efforts to compile the most complete list of countertop fabricators in the United States from A to Z. We will be working on Arkansas next and hope to give you a look at that list as soon as its available. And you will find it here first.

In coming weeks (and likely months), we will be compiling lists for all 50 states, and once we get them done, we will seek input from the industry to make sure everything is in order before we release the information to the public.

We think this is going to be very popular with the countertop community and very useful for those seeking new countertops.

Let us know what you think!