Silica Committee Starts On Standard; Could Be Adopted By Year’s End

Last year Cal/OSHA made a deal with a powerful state senator: Let the agency create a standard dealing with dry-cutting masonry, which releases clouds of silica-containing dust in return for the senator dropping a legislative mandate. In January, Cal/OSHA took the firsts steps toward writing the regulation. But one masonry worker warned that labor won't allow the effort to be scuttled. Cal-OSHA Reporter