HazCom for Stone Fabricators: What the Citations Actually Say

Cut stone and stone product manufacturing is the second most-cited trade in our dataset of federal OSHA Hazard Communication citations — 14 of 138, and half of them Serious. Almost none of them are about the thing stone shops worry about most.

1. What stone shops actually get cited for

We track federal OSHA HazCom citations and publish them in our citation tracker. Filtering to NAICS 327991 (Cut Stone and Stone Product Manufacturing) for citations issued between January 2025 and March 2026 gives 14 citations across Florida (4), Alabama (4), Pennsylvania (3) and Colorado (3). Seven were classified Serious.

By paragraph of 29 CFR 1910.1200:

Not one citation in this trade was for labelling. The written program alone accounts for six of the fourteen — more than either of the other two paragraphs.

2. Silica is a different standard — do not let it crowd out HazCom

Respirable crystalline silica is the hazard most stone fabricators think about, and it is governed by its own standard, 29 CFR 1910.1053. Hazard Communication is 29 CFR 1910.1200 and is separate. A shop can be doing everything asked of it on dust control and still be cited under HazCom, because the two standards ask for different things.

3. The written program is a document about your shop

Paragraph (e) requires a written hazard communication program. It is not a folder of safety data sheets and it is not a generic template with another company’s name replaced. It has to describe how your shop handles labels, safety data sheets and training, and who is responsible for each.

It is the most-cited item in this trade, and in our dataset as a whole. It is also the only one on this page that costs nothing but an afternoon.

4. Safety data sheets: four citations, and a predictable reason

Paragraph (g) covers safety data sheets. In stone fabrication the products that get missed are rarely the obvious ones. Slab adhesives, colour-matched epoxies and polyester resins, impregnating sealers, solvent-based cleaners and polishing compounds all arrive from suppliers who send a sheet once, at first purchase, and never again.

The common gap is a sheet that exists in a filing cabinet in the office while the person mixing two-part adhesive at the saw has no way to reach it during their shift.

5. Training: what actually triggers it

Paragraph (h) sets out employee information and training. The standard requires it “at the time of their initial assignment, and whenever a new chemical hazard the employees have not previously been trained about is introduced into their work area”.

In a stone shop the second trigger fires more often than people expect: a new sealer chemistry, a different adhesive brand, or a colour-matching kit from a new supplier all count.

6. Which products to inventory first

• Slab adhesives and colour-match kits, including hardeners and catalysts
• Polyester and epoxy resins
• Impregnating sealers and enhancers, and their solvent carriers
• Polishing compounds and rubbing bricks
• Solvent cleaners, acetone, and degreasers used at the fabrication bench
• Anything decanted into an unlabelled squeeze bottle or spray bottle

Whether a specific product is in scope depends on the definitions and exclusions in paragraph (b), which is also where the labelling exemption for certain consumer products sits, at (b)(5)(v).

7. A realistic order of work

1. Write the program. It is the most-cited item across our dataset as a whole.
2. Write down who was trained, when, and on which products — new hires first.
3. Put safety data sheets where the saw and the bench can reach them, not only the office.
4. Label the decanted containers on the fabrication floor.
5. Make a new product trigger two things automatically: request the sheet, and note the training.

Frequently asked questions

What do stone fabricators get cited for under OSHA HazCom?

In our dataset of federal HazCom citations issued to NAICS 327991 employers between January 2025 and March 2026, 6 of 14 citations were for the written hazard communication program (paragraph (e)), 4 for safety data sheets (paragraph (g)) and 4 for employee information and training (paragraph (h)). None were for labelling.

Does the silica standard cover my HazCom obligations?

No. Respirable crystalline silica is governed by 29 CFR 1910.1053, which is a separate standard from Hazard Communication at 29 CFR 1910.1200. A shop can be compliant on dust control and still be cited under HazCom, because the two standards require different things.

Does OSHA require annual HazCom refresher training for stone shops?

The word “annual” does not appear in 29 CFR 1910.1200. Training is required at the time of an employee’s initial assignment, and whenever a new chemical hazard they have not previously been trained about is introduced into their work area — such as switching to a different resin or sealer chemistry.

Which stone-shop products are most often missing a safety data sheet?

Slab adhesives and colour-match kits including hardeners, polyester and epoxy resins, impregnating sealers and their solvent carriers, polishing compounds, and bench solvents such as acetone. These are typically supplied once with a sheet that is never filed where the fabrication floor can reach it.

Related guides

• HazCom for machine shops: what OSHA actually cites
• HazCom training requirements: what OSHA expects
• The most-cited HazCom violations
• The federal HazCom citation tracker