The managing director of County Stone has called for the industry to prioritise safety practices in stone fabrication manufacturing instead of considering an outright product ban, following recent calls to remove eningeered stone products from the UK market.
County Stone MD, Paul Dore, has called “misconceptions” about the danger of quartz countertops, “extremely exaggerated”. He continued: “Quartz is engineered, and like many stones, contains silica. When being cut, the silica dust can be inhaled – but it’s important to note that if all recommended PPE and environmental steps are followed, the risk of this is small.”
He also responded to recent sensationalist headlines in the national press which have misled some consumers into thinking that the products can pose a risk once installed. Dore clarified: “It is also crucial to highlight that any risk is only during the manufacturing process.
“The headlines are painting a picture that quartz is a health risk – like asbestos – but having quartz in your home, whether as a kitchen worktop, backsplash, or even feature wall, is not dangerous. So people mustn’t panic and take drastic steps to remove it. There is no evidence to support a danger to customers or even installers.
“Since Australia banned quartz earlier this year, there has been a movement to further reduce risk, and as a result, suppliers are now developing quartz with a lower percentage of respirable crystalline silica (RCS). This will further reduce risk, but as always, prevention is key and this starts with correct safety protocols.
“Quartz is an incredibly popular choice. Cheaper than some alternatives like granite and marble, we recommend quartz as a hard-wearing and beautiful material that adds luxury to any home. And we will continue to recommend it until there is further evidence that proves it is anything but safe. At County Stone, safety is our top priority. As such, we take special measures and go above and beyond to ensure our team takes every precaution when cutting any material. As such, we have never had any issues with quartz – or any other material.
Dore concluded that he believes recent headlines about the danger of the quartz products are solely attributed to fabricators not following health and safety rules. He said: “The truth is that while some people have unfortunately developed silicosis, which may be linked to their work with quartz, this will have only happened due to the recommended safety advice not being followed.
“Therefore it’s important that the industry and regulating bodies look at the root cause of the issue and crack down on safety. Otherwise, even if quartz is banned, there may still be a rise in illnesses and injuries that are linked to working with both engineered and natural stone.”
Last year, Australia’s government voted to ban engineered stone products from the country after a rise in cases, which officially came into effect last month.
In December, Caesarstone said that they disagreed with Australia’s engineered stone ban, stating that “the safety of Caesarstone’s installed products to its end consumer was never an issue”, and stressed that “the products are safe to fabricate under safe working practices”.
Similarly, the UK’s Worktop Fabricators Federation (WFF) has said it believes there is no need for a total ban on the surfaces. It said there “is no health risk in handling, shipping, installing or using engineered stone worktops”, and that the risk of respirable silica dust is “purely to do with factory management in the fabrication process”.