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Workers who cut countertops are dying of silicosis

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Re: Workers who cut countertops are dying of silicosis

#271

Post by pfannkuchen »

Natsu wrote: post #190
michaelt wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Nobody to blame but themselves. Well, it depends on the situation. If I, a factory owner, offer optional safety equipment that slows workers down a bit, but I also demand such high productivity that corners have to be cut - whose fault is it when the inevitable happens? What if I, a factory owner, provide optional basic safety equipment costing $30 per person, but the mask makes the goggles steam up and the boots a…

In my experience, most of what happens is that workers don't want to wear the gear because it's hot/uncomfortable and they're working really long hours and get tired and sloppy by the end of it. I actually worked in such a factory, so this is based on direct experience, and what I saw was people cut corners mostly because they were tired after long shifts, though lack of comfort was also a factor due to the heat. The…

> OSHA-recordable

Go on…

Re: Workers who cut countertops are dying of silicosis

#272

Post by thehappypm »

jader201 wrote: post #168
mhb wrote: post #161

Earlier quoted context omitted.

TFA article says the stuff gets in your lungs and stays there. Are you trying to figure out whether you should wear protection for x% silica containing materials? Seems like a fool's errand.

Not at all, I actually wear a mask when just sweeping the garage. :) I certainly think there should be regulation requiring masks in industries like this — and I will definitely wear a mask the next time I’m around any sort of countertop dust. I’m mostly just curious about the science, and whether/why it is more binary than I’m understanding, vs. just taking some random HN strangers’ words.

Basically the point is—a poison cloud is a bad thing to expose yourself to!

Re: Workers who cut countertops are dying of silicosis

#273

Post by pixl97 »

Aeolun wrote: post #108
Kirby64 wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It seems that the synthetic stone is not the cause, but highlighting the problem: poor enforcement of safety standards and inadequate PPE provided to workers. Just because there's more silica doesn't mean that it's suddenly unsafe whereas cutting granite is safe. Even drywall or cutting concrete you're supposed to wear PPE.

> Even drywall or cutting concrete you're supposed to wear PPE Yeah, but it doesn’t kill you within a few years if you don’t, right?

Concrete is silica.

Re: Workers who cut countertops are dying of silicosis

#274

Post by pixl97 »

bagels wrote: post #122
dmbche wrote: post #2

"Nearly half of the workers suffering silicosis in the UCLA and UCSF study said their workplaces were using water to control dust. Roughly a quarter said they always had respiratory protection. Fazio said studies have found that in many shops, dust is so thick in the air that respirators cannot filter out a sufficient amount. Metzger argued that the kind of sophisticated and costly measures that would be needed to re…

I wish it was more specific about the materials.

Anything that contains silica... which includes concrete, practically anything stone based. This has nothing to do with this material being particularly dangerous above and beyond what is expected with any material cutting. You should not be cutting anything at the industrial scale without proper PPE.

Re: Workers who cut countertops are dying of silicosis

#275

Post by iancmceachern »

They just made the wrong choice in architecting their process'. They had different priorities then.

Engineered stone is created, it's not like natural stone, we don't have to cut it. They also have the choice to cast it, net shape.

They just need to redo their whole schema, they need to reconfigure their process to customize the engineered stone before its solidified, not after.

Re: Workers who cut countertops are dying of silicosis

#277

Post by cma »

cj wrote: post #58
bushbaba wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

America offers Medicare so we still bear the cost. Just only if they live long enough to receive the retirement benefits. Yeah one heck of a perverse incentive.

Medicare for the elderly, but we also have Medicaid for people in poverty ( Someone taken out of the workforce may qualify for that if they don’t already qualify for disability insurance or similar payments (although I’m not 100% clear if those are funded via private disability insurance or public programs)

Not in all states if you have no dependents.

Re: Workers who cut countertops are dying of silicosis

#279

Post by 1letterunixname »

A lot of tradespeople refuse or ignore PPE. It's mostly macho men, the kind who don't go to the doctor, and smoke and believe it won't cause them cancer. Another fact: scant few men who work outside wear sunscreen. There were multiple generations of these kind of people on my mom's side of the family, and they inevitably died prematurely of preventable conditions.

A modern example: I've seen gravestone engravers completely covered in stone dust while wearing only a thin handkerchief; no hearing, eye, or proper lung protection. Sure they should know the risks but you can't force people to not smoke tobacco or use proper PPE.

Re: Workers who cut countertops are dying of silicosis

#280

Post by bitcharmer »

rayiner wrote: post #221
willcipriano wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Once illegal immigrants gain citizenship and essentially basic civil rights (being a criminal federally isn't really freedom no matter if your state is sort of cool about it or not) they will no longer be willing to work in these conditions. They don't report or sue now due to their status, people fear deportation and it's often used as a threat by business owners and housewives employing cleaners and nannies.

Okay, so how long does someone have to be in the country illegally before they gain citizenship?

Observing public discourse regarding illegal immigration offers great insight into how the Overtone window works and how it can be pushed in any direction by elite-owned media. What is essentially illegal is now being called undocumented. It blows my mind. I had to go over a lot of hoops to be allowed to move to and work in Switzerland. It's the right of the host to set the rules and enforce them. If you don't intend to respect that and still come you're doing something illegal.

And I've been an expat in multiple countries for the majority of my life. Undocumented just means you broke the law to get in. This is illegall. Let's call a spade a spade.

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