[free registration required] The Occupational Safety and Health Administration this week kicked off...public hearings on a controversial proposed rule that would reduce workers’ exposure to crystalline silica—tiny particles...that...can cause lung cancer and other diseases. Industry groups strongly oppose the rule, claiming it’s not technologically or economically feasible, and they question the underlying science...Witnesses from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers and...trade associations are scheduled to testify against the proposal...[Silica] is created during work operations involving stone, rock, concrete, brick, block, mortar or industrial sand. It’s ubiquitous on...construction sites...[and] manufacturing facilities. OSHA estimates reducing silica exposure will save nearly 700 lives each year and prevent 1,600 new cases of silicosis, an incurable and progressive lung disease...The Construction Industry Safety Coalition...called the rule “significantly flawed” and said it will “do little to improve workplace health or safety.”