The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited Continental Brick Company after finding the employer exposed workers to respirable crystalline silica at the company’s brick manufacturing facility in Martinsburg, W.V.
An Aug. 16, 2021, inspection found the company failed to provide and require employees to wear respirators when working in areas where there was an overexposure to respirable crystalline silica, OSHA said in a March 1 statement. The brick manufacturer was found guilty of not implementing adequate engineering and work practice controls, conducting scheduled monitoring, establishing regulated decontamination areas or making a medical surveillance program available for employees exposed at or above the action level.
“Workers exposed to silica dust can lose their ability to work and to breathe,” said Prentice Cline, OSHA area director in Charleston, W.V. “The Continental Brick Company must implement engineering and work practice controls and require appropriate respiratory protection to ensure workers are fully protected from this deadly hazard.”
The company was cited for two willful and six serious safety and health violations, and OSHA proposed $131,972 in penalties. Continental has 15 business days from receipt of the citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission, OSHA said.
The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 stipulates employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees.
