Several conference seminars and forums addressed the OSHA Respirable Crystalline Silica Rule and how it affects the tile industry at the Coverings Trade Show held recently inAtlanta.AtTotal Solutions Plus, taking place October 27th- 30th in Grapevine, Texas, we will continue these lively and produc- tive discussions. This is the best way we at NTCA know how to effective- ly lead, by facilitating group discus- sions from leaders from the entire industry to help us better interpret the rule and to address best prac- tices in order to help our members stay in compliance. NTCA has supported the Tile Council of North America's (TCNA) efforts to understand the silica issue as it relates to the tile industry by helping to provide the contractor perspective and to assist their research in field test- ing for their reports. A new report from TCNA addressing California Proposition 65 will be released later this summer. In TileLetter's June issue of Tech Talk (pages 62-70), we covered top- ics addressed during a Coverings sponsored forum on the OSHA's Respirable Crystalline Silica Rule. In our coverage, we correctly out- lined the real concern that exists if workers do not follow best practices in the tile industry as it relates to respirable crystalline silica expo- sure. We followed that with specific examples of installation best prac- tices and products being developed to assist in compliance. The most important point to understand about respirable crys- talline silica as it concerns the tile industry was not pointed out or stated emphatically enough in this article. Here is the bottom line – When tile installers cut ceramic tile with either a snap cutter or a wet saw, the risk level has been proven to be very low. If Respirable Crystalline Silica Rule discussions create positive results PUBLISHER’S LETTER Bart A. Bettiga 8 TileLetter | July 2018