Stone fabricator
& silicosis expert witness with 40+ years on the job
I’m Buddy Ontra, a granite and marble fabricator, silicosis expert witness, and safety trainer based in Bridgeport, Connecticut. I consult nationwide on fabricator project management, OSHA inspections, and fabricator safety training.
With 40+ years in the trade — setting stone on high-rises, running a fabrication floor, and owning an accredited shop — I work with attorneys who need an expert who has actually stood at the saw, and with fabricators who need a seasoned manager for their next stone project.
Bridgeport, Connecticut — available nationally
Services
Expert Witness
Shop-floor analysis, expert reports, and testimony in silicosis and slab handling litigation.
Read more →Safety & Training
Peer-to-peer shop audits, silica exposure control plans, OSHA inspection prep, and crew training.
Read more →Fabricator Project Management
Logistics, sequencing, and site coordination on multi-phase commercial and high-end stone work.
Read more →Who Buddy helps
Attorneys handling silicosis and stone injury cases
Buddy reviews engineered stone, granite and marble fabrication practices, dust and silica exposure controls, slab handling and shop conditions, and explains them in plain language for plaintiff and defense counsel.
Fabrication shops facing OSHA or safety problems
Silica control, slab handling, machine guarding and shop-floor training — delivered by someone who has run the equipment, not just read the standard. Includes OSHA inspection preparation and post-inspection response.
Owners and builders with fabricator project management needs
Slab selection, layout, templating, sequencing and installation coordination on stone work where the details are unusual and mistakes are expensive.
Background
I have been working with marble and granite since 1982, and I still stop what I’m doing to look at a good slab.
Forty-plus years: setting cladding on commercial buildings, running fabrication and installation, owning a Natural Stone Institute accredited shop, and teaching silica and slab handling safety to more than 230 certified fabricators.
Read the full story →Credentials
- President, Natural Stone Institute2022
- NSI Person of the Year2022
- ISO 45001:2018 Lead AuditorHealth & Safety
- Instructor, NSI Silica & Slab Handling Certificate230+ certified
- NSI Board of Directors2016–2024
- Natural Stone Foundation Board2024–
- NSI Accredited Fabricator2016
- Voluntary ConnOSHA inspections2016 / 19 / 23
- OSHA 102006
- Industry sessions taught100+
- CEU sessions for design & build50+