US LABOR DEPARTMENT CITES SELMA BRICK MANUFACTURER FOR EXPOSING WORKERS TO RESPIRATORY HAZARDS THAT CAN LEAD TO INCURABLE LUNG DISEASE

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety & Health Administration issued the following press release:

U.S. Department of Labor safety investigators found a Selma brick manufacturer exposed workers to silica crystalline respiratory hazards that have the potential to lead to lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and kidney disease.

The department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited Henry Brick Co. Inc. - a clay brick manufacturer - with 11 serious citations and proposed $124,212 in penalties. Specifically, the agency found the employer:

* Exposed workers to airborne concentrations of respirable crystalline silica of up to six-and-a-half times the permissible exposure level.

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