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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

#71

Post by b112 »

mrweasel wrote: post #44
b112 wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The company is to blame. It's law to wear protective gear in many legal jurisdictions, and that 100% means the company is liable, if it does not actively enforce, and create a "culture of safety".

The point remain here: The workers are the ones choosing to not use the safety gear, in some cases. I was the safety representative at a previous job. Management care a lot about safety and provided everything required, and high quality gear as well. Still people would cut corners and not use the equipment because it was faster not to. These where people paid by the hour, they have zero incentive to work faster. If p…

Still people would cut corners and not use the equipment

Then they get written up, and eventually fired. Companies need to be stomped on(and are where I live), if they don't do this.

Re: Workers who cut countertops are dying of silicosis

#73

Post by blincoln »

eropple wrote: post #41
bluGill wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you ever wore a respirator? Not a mask (which all already uncomfortable to wear all day), but the full respirator which is what is needed for this dust. I've done it for an hour when working with chemicals (different filter from dust, but otherwise the same) and I was glad to get it off.it is hard to blame someone for not wanting to wear them all day. They still should. If you need to wear a respirator all day i…

I have a wood shop, I wear a respirator constantly unless I've got the doors open and the fans on and I'm not going to be doing more than a one-off cut that afternoon. A properly fitted 3M 6800-series full-face respirator is pretty comfortable even for long periods and while wearing glasses. A 6200-series half-mask is even more comfortable, though a little awkward with glasses. The only problem is that a 6800-series…

I've got a 3M full-face respirator as well, and I agree. I've worn it with P100 filters for 8+ hours (minus breaks to drink water) doing hard work in uncomfortable conditions many times, and never found the respirator to be a burden.

They're a little pricey up front, but I figured it was cheap overall compared to the long-term costs of using something less effective. Having eye protection integrated as well is ideal, since it never fogs up.

Re: Workers who cut countertops are dying of silicosis

#74

Post by alerighi »

mrweasel wrote: post #44
b112 wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The company is to blame. It's law to wear protective gear in many legal jurisdictions, and that 100% means the company is liable, if it does not actively enforce, and create a "culture of safety".

The point remain here: The workers are the ones choosing to not use the safety gear, in some cases. I was the safety representative at a previous job. Management care a lot about safety and provided everything required, and high quality gear as well. Still people would cut corners and not use the equipment because it was faster not to. These where people paid by the hour, they have zero incentive to work faster. If p…

Where I live the company is responsible for safety, so if a worker decides to not use the safety equipment the company is liable, not the worker, since they must enforce their usage and check that the workers comply, and if not take measures (that include firing the worker if it refuses to use them).

Of course they made so because otherwise it would be convenient to the company provide the safety equipment and not enforce their usage, this way getting work done faster (and thus have more profit).

Re: Workers who cut countertops are dying of silicosis

#75

Post by DoreenMichele »

mabbo wrote: post #39

What I find interesting when comparing the US the Canada on topics like these is that in Canada, there is self-interest in demanding workers be protected. Like beyond the fact that it's a good thing you do. Because we have a public health care system, funded by taxes, having a large number of young men out of the work force (not paying taxes) and using the health care system effectively means my taxes, everyone's tax…

Last I checked, Canada doesn't share a border with Mexico and some portion of these Latino "day workers" are illegal immigrants. Day workers are often paid under the table and when I have read other stories about them, they tend to include medical horror stories like "So, this guy cut 3 of his fingers off and they didn't even take him to the ER. They just returned him to the place where they had picked him up."

This is not exactly the best use case for arguing about Canada versus US healthcare policies.

Re: Workers who cut countertops are dying of silicosis

#76

Post by jader201 »

gpderetta wrote: post #40
jader201 wrote: post #26

Not long ago, we had our countertop replaced (from quartz to granite). They ended up having to make a cut in it while it was sitting in our kitchen. Our home was in a cloud of dust for several hours, and when the dust finally settled a day later, every surface imaginable was covered in dust. I’m pretty sure none of them wore masks when doing this. I honestly didn’t think to wear a mask either (since they weren’t and…

> Fortunately it was a granite countertop and not quartz A relative of mine died of silicosis after having worked for years in the granite industry. Granite is probably as bad without adequate protection.

I’m sure it’s not “good”, but from my limited understanding, it’s not equivalent to risks of quartz.

This article [1] indicates quartz contains about 2x silica vs. granite.

[1] https://blogs.cdc.gov/niosh-science-blog/2019/10/29/silicosi...

Re: Workers who cut countertops are dying of silicosis

#77

Post by echelon »

pydry wrote: post #63
rafaelmn wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not agreeing/disagreeing with this you but I wonder how you feel about obesity tax ? Low physical fitness tax ? There's plenty of evidence that exercise and diet significantly impact health (especially on population level) - like you said there's an incentive to keep those people healthy contributors instead of chronic burdens on the system. Sounds like a logical extension but doesn't seem popular/implemented widely.

I feel great about slapping a tax on the profits of companies that sell highly processed, sugary, addictive foods so that the market selects for healthier alternatives. Maybe subsidies for selling fresh fruit and veg also. I guess you could tax their victims instead though... they don't have a lobby so theyre probably easier to take advantage of.

> I guess you could tax their victims instead though... they don't have a lobby so theyre probably easier to take advantage of.

Nobody is the victim of choosing to eat a cake.

Re: Workers who cut countertops are dying of silicosis

#78

Post by trobertson »

jader201 wrote: post #26

Not long ago, we had our countertop replaced (from quartz to granite). They ended up having to make a cut in it while it was sitting in our kitchen. Our home was in a cloud of dust for several hours, and when the dust finally settled a day later, every surface imaginable was covered in dust. I’m pretty sure none of them wore masks when doing this. I honestly didn’t think to wear a mask either (since they weren’t and…

> Fortunately it was a granite countertop and not quartz.

Granites are primarily composed of feldspar and quartz, which are both primarily composed of silica. Silica is the thing that causes silicosis, and when that granite was cut it was clouds of silica dust that covered your home.

You were no more safe in that granite dust than you would have been in quartz dust.

Re: Workers who cut countertops are dying of silicosis

#79

Post by albert_e »

dml2135 wrote: post #27

Not surprised. Back in my artist days, the studio I rented was in a building with a countertop business on the first floor. The extent of their safety measures were blowing the dust out into the back alley. Most workers rarely, if ever wore masks, and the inside of the shop was absolutely covered in dust. The dust would make it up to me on the second floor, everything in my studio would accumulate a thin layer just a…

> everything in my studio would accumulate a thin layer just a week or so after cleaning

I wish I ONLY had to clean the surfaces once a week.

In my country and city unfortunately -- even though I dont live near a major road or construction site -- dust is everywhere. Within 24 hours or less of wiping clean, you can see a visible layer of dust on any horizontal surface in home.

Re: Workers who cut countertops are dying of silicosis

#80

Post by Tao3300 »

DoreenMichele wrote: post #75
mabbo wrote: post #39

What I find interesting when comparing the US the Canada on topics like these is that in Canada, there is self-interest in demanding workers be protected. Like beyond the fact that it's a good thing you do. Because we have a public health care system, funded by taxes, having a large number of young men out of the work force (not paying taxes) and using the health care system effectively means my taxes, everyone's tax…

Last I checked, Canada doesn't share a border with Mexico and some portion of these Latino "day workers" are illegal immigrants. Day workers are often paid under the table and when I have read other stories about them, they tend to include medical horror stories like "So, this guy cut 3 of his fingers off and they didn't even take him to the ER. They just returned him to the place where they had picked him up." This…

More policy preaching from ultra-white northern countries that don't let anyone in. It's such a tired trope...
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