Personal protective equipment must be utilized whether fabricating stone or engineered stone. Modern shops fabricate wet and there is no airborne dust. Whole lotta nuthin' in this article.

Yup whole lotta nuthin for the pro's...But the post was for DIYs

It is a whole lotta nuthin for everyone. Acute silicosis is incredibly rare and is found almost solely in mine workers. I can't find evidence of anyone ever getting acute silicosis who was not exposed through work (not that it hasn't happened it is just exceedingly rare). Other types of silicosis require years of exposure, which really precludes DIYers unless of course you work on your counter daily for 5-10 years.

Once again, what is an occupational hazard is not necessarily hazardous because of short-term exposure.

Silicosis, AKA "hard rock miner's disease" comes from years of exposure to rock dust without protection.

For a DIY countertop, wearing a properly-rated dust mask and having someone (also in a mask) holding a vacuum near the blade to catch most of the dust will suffice. Then wipe down the surfaces with a damp cloth.