The Worktop Fabricators Federation (WFF) has launched a new silica dust awareness campaign, intended to deliver “bite-size” safety training to stone workers.
Said to have been designed “to meet frontline workers where they are, on their phones”, fabricators and installers can access the new guidance on their mobile devices, which the WFF says makes critical safety information more accessible than ever before.
By simply scanning a QR code, mobile users are taken to the campaign’s silica dust awareness training page. Users can learn things such as what silica dust is, understand the potential risks of dust respiration, and receive advice for how to prepare themselves and others.
The new guidance has been released in partnership with the Health & Safety Executive (HSE), the British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS) and Safety Remotely.
According to the WFF, it has already seen positive signs from the training. Confidence levels reported by users was said to increase by 25.5% after using the training, and 98% of users reported they found the training “very helpful”.
Speaking exclusively to kbbreview, Nigel Fletcher, WFF operations officer commented: “We’re looking at different ways of getting this vital information out to those who need it most. By having this guide available in a quick and easy format on mobile devices, we’ll be able to raise even more awareness about how stone workers can handle engineered stone in a way that’s safe, responsible and easy to understand.”
Though concerns around high-silica engineered stone surfaces have made headlines in both the trade and national press in recent years, the WFF has argued that there is no need for a total ban on quartz surfaces. It instead says that that rigorous safety and best practice regulations are the best way to handle any risks the products pose.
