HSE makes water suppression a legal requirement for cutting engineered stone

Great Britain’s OSH regulator announced a package of measures to protect workers from the dangers of engineered stone dust, including publishing updated guidance that makes it clear that dry cutting is no longer permitted. This will be backed by a nationwide inspection programme to ensure businesses meet the new standards and don’t cut corners.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE)’s new rules are intended to protect workers from the health risks associated with engineered stone dust in response to the recent deaths of two young workers from silicosis, a deadly but preventable lung disease that develops when people dry cutting the material breathe in the hazardous silica dust released.

The measures include publishing new (updated) guidance that makes it clear to businesses that the HSE is making the deployment of water suppression techniques a legal requirement when cutting engineered stone.

The HSE has also announced that it plans to back up its guidance with a nationwide inspection programme over the next year; more than 1,000 of its inspectors will visit fabricators to monitor their compliance with the new rules. Any business that continues to use dry cutting now that it has been declared as being an unacceptable practice, faces enforcement action. The regulator reports that the first of these inspections has already started.

The tougher measures have come about after MPs, trade unions and medical professionals have called for more effective interventions following the recent deaths of two young workers from silicosis. In addition, the HSE’s latest statistics on silicosis underline the urgency for more effective action.

These fatalities prompted Great Britain’s OSH regulator to undertake a two-year research programme and to engage with industry on engineered stone cutting practices. The conclusion that it drew was that only proper controls – water suppression – backed by proactive enforcement – can provide effective and proportionate safeguards.

The updated guidance coincides with BSG’s new online course Silica Dust Awareness Online Training. The 40-minute course delivers essential, life-saving knowledge covering: The Dangers of Silica Dust, Legal Protection for Employers and Practical Risk Control. Click here to enrol.