The UK’s health and safety workplace watchdog has drafted new rules in a bid to protect tradespeople amid rising cases of a deadly lung disease from cutting kitchen countertops.
It comes after i revealed the UK’s first cases of silicosis in young stonemasons who inhaled toxic dust from cutting high-silica engineered stone were recorded last year.
Praising i for uncovering the issue, the head of the UK’s chartered body for workplace health protection said the update from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) “will undoubtedly save lives”.
The draft guidance highlights the dangers of practices such as dry cutting without water suppression tools to dampen respirable crystalline silica (RCS) dust, which can cause silicosis, i understands.
Quartz worktops have soared in popularity for kitchen makeovers, but the growth has been linked to a global spike in cases of the incurable lung illness, which has crippled stonemasons cutting without adequate safety measures.
In the UK, at least 11 cases have been reported since last year, the majority in migrants operating in poor working conditions, echoing a pattern seen in other countries.
The average age of the men, one of whom has died, is 34, with two referred for lung transplant assessment and doctors warning case numbers here are likely to rise significantly in the coming years.
In July, Australia became the first country in the world to ban engineered stone after hundreds of workmen fell ill with silicosis, with one report finding most were aged under 35, in what doctors branded an epidemic.
Experts from the HSE met with trade body the Worktop Fabricators Federation (WFF) to discuss the new draft safety guidelines that underline the need for proper risk management.
The HSE is also understood to be reviewing the use of engineered stone and global evidence to consider what additional controls or action may be necessary, and to be engaging with occupational lung disease clinicians about how cases are diagnosed to inform future interventions.
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The UK’s health and safety workplace watchdog has drafted new rules in a bid to protect tradespeople amid rising cases of a deadly lung disease from cutting kitchen countertops.
It comes after i revealed the UK’s first cases of silicosis in young stonemasons who inhaled toxic dust from cutting high-silica engineered stone were recorded last year.
Praising i for uncovering the issue, the head of the UK’s chartered body for workplace health protection said the update from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) “will undoubtedly save lives”.
The draft guidance highlights the dangers of practices such as dry cutting without water suppression tools to dampen respirable crystalline silica (RCS) dust, which can cause silicosis, i understands.
Quartz worktops have soared in popularity for kitchen makeovers, but the growth has been linked to a global spike in cases of the incurable lung illness, which has crippled stonemasons cutting without adequate safety measures.
In the UK, at least 11 cases have been reported since last year, the majority in migrants operating in poor working conditions, echoing a pattern seen in other countries.
The average age of the men, one of whom has died, is 34, with two referred for lung transplant assessment and doctors warning case numbers here are likely to rise significantly in the coming years.
In July, Australia became the first country in the world to ban engineered stone after hundreds of workmen fell ill with silicosis, with one report finding most were aged under 35, in what doctors branded an epidemic.
Experts from the HSE met with trade body the Worktop Fabricators Federation (WFF) to discuss the new draft safety guidelines that underline the need for proper risk management.
The HSE is also understood to be reviewing the use of engineered stone and global evidence to consider what additional controls or action may be necessary, and to be engaging with occupational lung disease clinicians about how cases are diagnosed to inform future interventions.
Read the full article here: [https://inews.co.uk/news/rules-save-lives-kitchen-revamp-workers-lung-disease-3316203](https://inews.co.uk/news/rules-save-lives-kitchen-revamp-workers-lung-disease-3316203)