Safety consultants hailed the new, tighter limit as an essential step forward; the earlier rules had been based mostly on decades-old science, they said. None of this surprises David Michaels, an epidemiologist at George Washington University who used to run the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, a security company throughout the Department of Labor. In 2015, he says, OSHA issued a “hazard alert” warning of a big publicity danger for employees who manufacture natural and artificial stone countertops. The contract also calls for some improvements to advantages, corresponding to bigger performance-related bonuses. The final settlement reportedly includes a assured performance …