WATSONTOWN, PA – The U.S. Department of Labor has cited brick manufacturer General Shale Brick with three willful and four serious violations for knowingly exposing workers to unsafe levels of respirable silica dust at its Watsontown plant.
On February 12, 2026, OSHA investigators inspected General Shale, which is doing business as Watsontown Brick Company, as part of the agency’s site‑specific targeting inspection plan as well as a review of the company’s injury and illness records.
OSHA found that workers in Plant 3, where molded brick is made, breathed in silica dust above safe limits. The company knew about the exposure but failed to fix the problem or require workers to wear respirators.
OSHA also determined the company failed to test workers' respirator fit each year, did not establish regulated areas where employees are exposed to silica, did not check silica exposure levels for all silica-involved jobs, and did not provide required medical exams for workers exposed to silica for more than 30 days a year.
A past violation for missing respirator fit tests at the company’s Augusta, Georgia, site led to an added repeat violation.
We reached out to Watsontown Brick Company, but the company has not yet responded to our request for comment.
OSHA issued three willful, four serious, one repeat, and one other-than-serious violation, with proposed penalties of $496,528.
The company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations to comply, request an informal conference or contest the findings.
In February 2020, OSHA implemented a National Emphasis Program (NEP) to identify and reduce or eliminate worker exposures to respirable crystalline silica (RCS) in general industry, maritime and construction industries. It targeted industries expected to have the highest RCS exposures and focused on enforcing the new standards.
