New HSE advice for installing stone worktops

The Health and Safety regulator has published some updated and simplified advice for workers and employers who handle and deal in engineered stone.

This has come around due to increasing concerns regarding workers inhaling stone dust, which can cause long-term and irreversible health conditions like silicosis.

The purpose of the The Health and Safety Executive’s guidance is to remind duty holders and staff about the need and importance of suitable procedures and controls being in place to help protect against exposure to stone dust, which will help prevent workers breathing in respirable crystalline silica (RCS).

There is an exposure risk to stone workers to airborne particles of stone dust containing RCS when processing stone. This includes engineered stone, by cutting, chiselling and polishing.

Over the passage of time, breathing in such silica particles can cause irreversible, life-changing and often fatal respiratory conditions like silicosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer.

Deputy Director at Health at Work, Mike Calcutt, said:

“HSE will continue to work with industry stakeholders to raise awareness of managing the risks from exposure to respirable crystalline silica. It’s important that businesses act now to ensure they comply with the law and protect their workers from serious lung diseases.

“Great Britain has a robust and well-established regulatory framework in place to protect workers from the health risks associated with exposure to hazardous substances.

“We want employers and workers to make sure they are aware of the risks associated with the activities they do, and that’s why we are sending this reminder.

“HSE’s inspectors have often found poor management of control measures including water suppression, dust extraction, equipment maintenance, cleaning and RPE provision. Employers should ensure suitable control measures are properly used and maintained.”

Last year, Australia banned the use of engineered stone, fearing that it would become the ‘new asbestos’ in the stonemasonry industry.

Such conditions as silicosis often do not start displaying any symptoms until decades after exposure to the stone dust, and symptoms continue to worsen even if exposure is no longer a factor.

The new guidance offers some ‘do’s and don’ts’ for working with stone worktops. To read the guidance in full, visit the HSE website.

5 steps to take when working with engineered stone

Here are just some of the important steps that can be taken to minimise the risk of exposure to toxic materials:

Installers should understand the risk from processing stone and how to use suitable controls.
Worktops should be pre-fabricated so further processing on site is avoided.
Water suppression or on-tool extraction with shroud and dust collector attached to an M-class vacuum should be used to control any dust generated.
Respiratory protective equipment with an assigned protection factor (APF) of at least 20 (e.g. FFP3 face mask) should be worn when processing the stone.
Cleaning should be by wet methods or dust class M vacuum to prevent creation of dust.