Cal/OSHA Silica Advisory Committee Update

Dear California ISFA Member,

The Cal/OSHA Silica Advisory Committee that will shape the future of engineered-stone fabrication in California is being formed right now, and the deadline for committee invitations is June 1, 2026. If our industry is going to have a real voice in this process, California fabricators need to step forward immediately.

Here's what's happening. On Petition 609 (8 CCR § 5204), the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board has GRANTED the petition and directed Cal/OSHA to convene a Silica Advisory Committee to review § 5204 and consider rulemaking that could prohibit fabrication and installation of engineered stone containing more than 1% crystalline silica. This is not a future possibility; the committee is being assembled now, with invitations to be sent by June 1, 2026.

The Board's order specifies that the committee must be representative of stakeholders and it explicitly names California fabricators as one of those stakeholder groups, alongside the petitioner, manufacturers, public health experts, academics, and worker advocates. At its January 15, 2026 meeting, the Board also specifically asked to hear from the fabrication side. In other words: there is a seat for our industry, but it will be filled by Cal/OSHA invitation and the people writing those invitations need to know who we are before June 1.

We need California fabricators to raise their hands now.

This is your opportunity to represent the people who run the shops and to make sure the realities of engineering controls, training, medical surveillance, and the true cost of compliance are heard by the people writing the rules. If the fabricator seats are filled without strong shop-floor voices, those decisions get made without us.

Who we're looking for:

- A California-based ISFA member fabrication shop operating under § 5204

- Willing to speak candidly about real-world operating conditions, costs, and worker-protection practices

- Able to participate in advisory committee meetings

- Committed to the shared goal of ending silicosis in surface fabrication

How to put your shop forward through Cal/OSHA:

1. Email laurie@isfanow.org with the subject line "Cal/OSHA Committee - ISFA Fabricator Representative."

2. Include your shop name, location, primary contact

3. Respond IMMEDIATELY.  Invitations are due to go out by June 1, 2026, we are assembling and submitting our candidates to Cal/OSHA on a compressed timeline. Do not wait.

ISFA will compile interested members and put forward fabricator candidates to Cal/OSHA, advocating for shops that reflect the range of California's fabrication community.

Representing yourself directly:

Because the committee is convened by Cal/OSHA invitation rather than an open application, the most reliable route is to make your interest known, to ISFA and directly to Cal/OSHA, as soon as possible. If you'd prefer to be considered on behalf of your own company rather than through ISFA, you are welcome to contact Cal/OSHA directly to express your interest in a fabricator seat.

The relevant contacts are:

- Eric Berg, Deputy Chief of Health, Cal/OSHA — EBerg@dir.ca.gov (Cal/OSHA is the division convening the advisory committee)

- Millicent Barajas, Executive Officer, Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board — MBarajas@dir.ca.gov (the Board that issued the Petition 609 decision)

Whether you come forward through ISFA or on your own, the important thing is to do it before June 1.  The committee is being built this week. Please help us make sure our industry is in the room.

With urgency and appreciation,

ISFA