Countertop Maker Faces $1 Million in Penalties Over Worker's Lung Transplant

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration said Monday that it cited a Chicago countertop manufacturer after an employee needed a double lung transplant due to injuries from workplace silica dust exposure. OSHA cited Florenza Marble & Granite Corp. for eight “egregious willful,” four “willful” and 20 “serious” safety and health violations and proposed more than $1 million in penalties following a February investigation. Inspectors who visited the company to conduct air sampling discovered “employees laboring in a haze of dust througho...