Florenza Marble & Granite Corp.

Chicago, IL 2024 Small Manufacturers

OSHA Osha Willful Egregious Crystalline Silica Osha Willful Medical Monitoring Osha Willful Engineering Controls Silica Osha Willful Respiratory Protection Program Osha Willful Hazard Training Limited English Osha Serious Silica Exposure Control

Penalty

$1 million

Injuries

Outcome

Florenza Marble & Granite Corp. was cited for 8 egregious willful, 4 willful, and 20 serious OSHA violations with more than $1 million in penalties after a 31-year-old employee required a double lung transplant and two other workers were diagnosed with occupational lung disease from crystalline silica exposure nearly six times above permissible levels at the Chicago countertop shop.

Details

Florenza Marble & Granite Corp. — Three Workers With Silicosis, Two Awaiting Lung Transplants (2024)

Outcome: OSHA cited Florenza Marble & Granite Corp. for 8 egregious willful, 4 willful, and 20 serious violations totaling more than $1 million in penalties after discovering silica dust levels nearly six times above OSHA's permissible limit at the Chicago countertop shop — a 31-year-old worker needed a double lung transplant, his 59-year-old father and coworker awaited a silicosis-related transplant, and a 47-year-old worker had been in treatment for occupational lung disease for over three years.

OSHA inspectors found that Florenza Marble & Granite Corp., a Chicago countertop fabrication shop, was exposing workers to respirable crystalline silica at concentrations "nearly six times higher than permissible levels" during dry cutting and grinding operations. The company's owner, Brad Karp, had failed to install engineering controls (wet cutting methods or local exhaust ventilation) that would suppress the dust, establish a medical monitoring program to track workers' lung health, maintain a respiratory protection program, or provide any hazard communication or safety training to workers — several of whom had limited English proficiency.

Two workers' compensation insurers had already dropped coverage in 2022 and 2024 due to the facility's unsafe practices. OSHA issued 8 egregious willful violations (one per affected worker or specific control failure), 4 additional willful violations, and 20 serious violations. The proposed penalty exceeded $1 million.

Primary Source: US Department of Labor cites Chicago countertop maker for exposing workers to crystalline silica dust; 2 workers need lung transplants, 1 with incurable lung disease

How Crucible Prevents This

Three workers with silicosis — one requiring a double lung transplant, another awaiting a transplant, a third under long-term treatment — represent the maximum severity outcome of uncontrolled silica exposure in stone fabrication. The workers had limited English proficiency and received no safety information from management. Crucible's multilingual hazard communication enforcement and per-worker medical monitoring tracking would have flagged the complete absence of exposure controls and medical surveillance before the first worker developed irreversible disease.

Source: US Department of Labor cites Chicago countertop maker for exposing workers to crystalline silica dust; 2 workers need lung transplants, 1 with incurable lung disease

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