Textiles

Santa Ana, CA — California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health is “extremely motivated” to move forward on an emergency temporary standard on silica hazards for workers who handle engineered stone.

San Francisco — A recent study of stone fabricators in California who have been diagnosed with silicosis shows that virtually all of them were immigrant, Latino men.

Melbourne, Australia — A recent study of stone countertop industry workers reveals an “alarmingly high” occurrence of silicosis, indicating that government-mandated screening tests may be inadequate to diagnose the disease.

Denver — A new Regional Emphasis Program from OSHA is aimed at safeguarding workers in the cut stone and stone products manufacturing industry from silica hazards.

Washington — The Worker Rights Consortium and the Maquiladora Health and Safety Support Network have issued a set of guidelines intended to protect apparel and textile workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Washington — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning of “an emerging public health threat” after researchers identified an increase in cases of silicosis – an incurable lung disease – among workers who handle engineered stone used to make household countertops.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Workers exposed to textile dust may have more than double the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis, according to a study from the Allergy and Immunology Research Center at the Institute for Medical Research.