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The problem is mostly with unlicensed contractors, usually undocumented immigrants. It's very easy to start countertop installation business. Buy some tools, list yourself at thumbtack and you are ready to go. You can always find work by underbidding guys with license. These guys often don't even have bank accounts and work for cash.

Well sure. There is no regulation with 100% compliance, and some regulation that inspires non-compliance. Safety regulations in the trades are taken as a joke in general. An example I heard back in the day: How many OSHA inspectors does it take to change a lightbulb? Only one, but it takes him three days to do it.

Do the same characteristics that make it the most regulated state also make it the state most likely to notice these hazards before other states do? If so, it wouldn't be very weird.

My initial thought was, "Why wouldn't this be showing up everywhere?" Then, I thought "Oh, yeah."

Poking around on the CDC site, it seems like the most recent data they have up is from 2014.