California Moves To Ban High-Silica Artificial Stone
State safety board fast-tracks an emergency rule to protect countertop fabrication workers from incurable lung disease.
- By Jesse Jacobs
- May 26, 2026
A state workplace safety panel voted unanimously to begin the process of banning the fabrication and installation of artificial stone products containing more than 1% crystalline silica.
The California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board directed regulators to fast-track an emergency rule following a formal petition from medical experts. The decision comes amid a sharp rise in cases of silicosis, an incurable and fatal lung disease linked to the engineered stone commonly used for kitchen and bathroom countertops.
Under the board's directive, Cal/OSHA will prepare an emergency finding to expedite the rulemaking process. Regulators will simultaneously form scientific and advisory committees to evaluate how the restrictions will affect the industry and worker safety.
The regulatory push follows an investigation by state safety officials into a petition filed by the Western Occupational and Environmental Medicine Association. Evaluators determined that workers cutting, grinding and polishing artificial stone face severe health risks that existing workplace protections have failed to mitigate.
Silicosis develops when workers inhale microscopic particles of crystalline silica dust. The progressive disease scars lung tissue, causing severe respiratory failure.
The crisis has disproportionately affected vulnerable demographics within the industry. California Department of Public Health data shows that Latino men account for roughly 98% of the state's silicosis diagnoses linked to stone fabrication. State health officials also reported that the average age of workers who died from the disease was under 50 years old.
The upcoming emergency ban represents the strictest measure in a multiyear effort by California regulators to curb silica exposure.
The standards board previously approved an emergency temporary standard in December 2023, which applied to high-exposure tasks involving stone materials with more than 10% silica content. That measure was made permanent in February 2025, legally requiring stone fabrication employers to implement enhanced dust-suppression and respiratory protections.
Legislative actions have also targeted the illness. Senate Bill 20, signed into law in October 2025, classified silicosis as a serious illness and mandated information-sharing between Cal/OSHA and state health officials to better track cases.
Cal/OSHA enforcement initiatives have resulted in more than 900 citations and $1.9 million in proposed penalties through a special emphasis program targeting silica hazards.
About the Author
Jesse Jacobs is assistant editor of OHSOnline.com.