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by jcampbell1 995 days ago
According to a California advisory, respirators should only be used as a last resort.

https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/dosh_publications/Engineered-sto...

In New Jersey which also has lots of stone cutting, doesn’t allow dry cutting and has entirely different advice.

https://www.nj.gov/health/workplacehealthandsafety/documents...

1 comments

There's not as much difference as you say. The NJ page says

> New Jersey law (N.J.S.A. 34:5-182) requires that employers provide workers with full-face air-purifying respirators when engineering controls cannot be used. Use of respirators should be part of a complete respiratory protection program.

While the CA page says

  Respirators should only be used:
   • As a last resort for
    protection when local
    exhaust ventilation or
    water controls are not
    feasible or do not
    adequately control
    employee airborne
    exposures.
  • Where exposures
    exceed the permissible
    exposure limit (50 μg/m3,
    8-hour TWA) while installing or implementing feasible
    engineering and work practice controls.
  • When the employee is in a regulated area.
I.e., both say that other measures must be applied first.