The UK’s Health & Safety Executive (HSE) has drafted new guidelines for tradespeople working with engineered stone, and is asking industry organisations for their feedback before it publicly releases the new advice.
This month, members and associates of the Worktop Fabricators Federation (WFF) were given the chance to view and comment on the new guidelines, which are said to be presented in a “dos and don’ts” format. The new guidelines seek to update the HSE’s existing advice on working with engineered stone, as the Executive continues to work out the best way to promote safe manufacturing techniques considering recent concerns around silicosis.
According to the WFF, the new draft guidance highlights the dangers of unsafe techniques such as dry-cutting, with the HSE aiming to address fears that the actions of a minority of unsafe manufacturers might compromise the whole market for engineered stone worktops.
At the end of last year, Australia made a landmark decision to ban engineered stone products from its market following campaigns by several public interest groups worried about the effects of silicosis. However, many suppliers and trade bodies have since argued that a similar ban would be unnecessary in the UK. They believe the key to avoid more silicosis cases is to ensure fabricators follow strict health and safety rules to ensure the safety of those working with the products.
WFF members have been invited to review and share comments on the draft guidelines, before HSE decides how and when to publish a final version. The WFF has said that the aim is for the final guidelines to be fit-for-purpose by all in the supply chain, including fabricators, building site managers, joinery wholesalers and showroom managers.
At this stage, the HSE has not publicly shared the exact nature and specifications of the draft guidelines. However, a recent article by newspaper The i claims that one new measure will force employers to provide workers with the tools and PPE to safely cut engineered stone.
“There is no appetite in Westminster for Australian-style product-bans,” said WFF general secretary Chris Pateman. “If the Australian industry had been subject to the kind of regulatory environment we enjoy in the UK, the ban would probably never have come about in the first place.
“All of the UK cases of occupationally-acquired silicosis so far have been among young men who have contracted the disease over a very short time frame, because they have been routinely exposed to many times the Workplace Exposure Limit.
“The WFF and the HSE are working closely on this, because we have a mutual interest in ensuring good practice is recognised.”
Commenting on the new guidelines, a HSE spokesperson said: “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 continue to work with industry to raise awareness of managing the risks of exposure to respirable crystalline silica. As part of this engagement, we are consulting with industry on best practice guidelines to discuss practical solutions to tackle this shared issue.
The HSE added that it plans to hold further workshops with other stakeholders in the stone supply chain. According to the Executive, the aim of these workshops will be to secure a co-ordinated and collaborative impact on the causes of unsafe levels of worker exposure.