SILICOSIS Article #7
Why One Slab Can Trigger Dozens of Cases
By Gil Chotam & Greg Andrews | National Tile and Stone Authority (NTSA)
In most construction cases, exposure or failure is isolated, a single jobsite, a single product defect, a single injured party.
Silicosis litigation tied to engineered stone is different.
We've seen this firsthand: one slab, one saw, one shop, dozens of workers exposed over the years. If a fabricator handled engineered quartz without proper controls, the risk didn't just affect one person. It spread. Quietly, steadily, and often undetected, until the first diagnosis appears. Then, suddenly, the legal questions multiply.
For attorneys building, or defending, these cases, this pattern is a liability minefield… or a strategic opportunity.
- The Multiplier Is Built Into the Work
A single engineered stone slab doesn't get cut once. It gets:
- Measured
- Dry cut with a grinder or bridge saw
- Polished multiple times
- Edge-profiled, often by hand
- Washed, blown off, swept up, handled again
And each of those steps may involve different workers, on different shifts, often in confined spaces with inconsistent or nonexistent dust control.
That same shop may process hundreds of slabs per month, meaning workers are exposed not just once, but daily.
- Most Shops Don't Track Exposure, So Attorneys Must
Few small-to-mid-size fabrication shops keep accurate records of:
- Air quality monitoring
- Respirator issuance logs
- Wet cutting schedules
- Employee rotation or proximity to cutting stations
- Equipment upgrades or changes
That means proving (or disputing) exposure falls to attorneys and their experts. And that's where forensic investigation becomes critical.
At NTSA, we help reconstruct:
- Shop layouts and air flow
- Equipment types and silica release patterns
- Worker roles and proximity
- Timeframe overlap (who was exposed, when, and how often)
- Whether safety measures could have prevented exposure
Once you do that for one worker, it often opens the door to many more.
- Mass Tort Strategy: This Is Where It Starts
If you're a plaintiff attorney, here's why this matters: one intake may lead to 5–20 viable claimants.
- Many fabrication workers are part of small communities
- Word spreads quickly after the first diagnosis
- Exposure timelines are often shared (same shops, same conditions)
- And many workers assume their symptoms are just chronic cough or asthma, until prompted
Law firms that move fast to document these clusters will gain both legal traction and community trust.
- Defense Attorneys: One Settlement Doesn't Mean It's Over
From the defense side, too many firms treat a silicosis case like a one-off. But we've seen situations where a client settles a single claim, only to face 12 more from the same location six months later.
That's why early expert engagement matters. We can help identify:
- Whether exposure was limited or systemic
- Whether practices changed over time
- Whether your client had direct or indirect control
- Whether any other parties should be notified or brought in early
In some cases, we've helped attorneys argue scope limitations successfully protecting them from future claims they didn't cause.
- One Worker = A Case. A Shop = A Pattern. A Pattern = Leverage.
From the moment a case begins, you're not just evaluating an injury—you're evaluating the environment it came from.
Smart firms, plaintiff and defense know to:
- Audit the site, not just the story
- Ask about coworkers, not just the client
- Track materials, not just tools
- Identify all vendors and contractors involved
Because behind every engineered slab are manufacturers, distributors, supervisors, safety reps, and insurers. And any one of them may be part of the story.
Final Thought: Don't Chase One Case. Map the Cluster.
Engineered stone silicosis cases are rarely isolated. Once one worker comes forward, others usually follow. The shop that denied air quality issues last year? Probably hasn't changed much. The practices that exposed one worker? Probably exposed more.
If you're litigating these claims, think beyond the first complaint. One slab may be the start, but it's rarely the end.
We're here to help you follow the dust trail. And we know how far it can go.
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NEXT: SILICOSIS Article 8: How the Silicosis Tentacles Spread Far and Wide
