Cut Stone & Stone Product Manufacturers NAICS 327991

Apr 21, 2025 - Cuts Endanger Worker Safety

• The Trump administration’s efforts to reduce federal spending are jeopardizing the occupational safety of workers in the mining and stone cutting industries, according to DCReport. Funding cuts initiated by DOGE have led to furloughs at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the federal agency responsible for conducting research and making recommendations for the prevention of work-related injury, illness, disability, and death. In April, NIOSH laid off approximately 80% of its staff, impacting grant administration and respirator certification, crucial for worker safety. The cuts have already caused the Mining Safety and Health Administration to pause enforcement of silica exposure standards, threatening progress in workplace safety and potentially increasing risks of diseases like silicosis. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the rate of recordable cases in cut stone and stone product manufacturing was 6.1% in 2023, higher than the rate across all industries.
• Remodeling activity – a driver of demand for cut stone and stone products used in kitchens and bathrooms – is expected to pick up modestly this year following two years of decline, according to the Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity (LIRA) released in January by the Remodeling Futures Program at the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University. Spending for improvements and maintenance to owner-occupied homes is expected to grow, albeit at a mild pace throughout 2025, “A solid labor market, rising home values, and continued improvement in existing home sales are supporting greater activity in home remodeling and repair,” said Carlos Martín, Director of the Remodeling Futures Program at the Center. The LIRA predicts that remodeling and repair spending will rise by $6 billion (1.2%) through the end of Q4 2025 to $509 billion. Remodeling and repair spending in Q4 2024 fell 1.4% over the same period in 2023.

• Interest in silica-free and low-silica products is rising as concern over silicosis in the engineered stone industry – and among safety regulators – rises, Stone World reports. Silicosis – a potentially-deadly lung disease caused by inhaling crystalline silica – is a hazard for those who handle and manufacture engineered stone countertops and other stone products if proper safety precautions aren’t followed. Many in the industry, including Neolith and Aurea Stone, are investing in research and development to reduce or eliminate silica from their products. Neolith is focused on developing sintered stone technology using all-natural raw materials and offers a product portfolio with a silica content under 9%. Aurea Stone boasts an entire product line manufactured with crystalline silica-free materials, says its CEO. Neoliths’ CEO says he sees the industry leaving behind engineered stone and being replaced by superior materials with very low crystalline silica content and better technical properties.
• Employment by other nonmetallic mineral products manufacturers, which includes cut stone and stone product manufacturing firms, grew 4.4% in January compared to a year ago, while in February average industry wages rose 7.8% to a new high of $27.72 per hour, according to the latest US Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Rising payrolls for cut stone and stone product manufacturers are being supported in part by rising industry producer prices, up 3.1% in December compared to a year ago after rising 2.1% in the previous December-versus-December annual comparison, BLS data show.