Silica in stone working – new advice for installers of stone worktops

Stone workers are at risk of exposure to airborne particles of stone dust containing respirable crystalline silica (RCS) when processing stone, including engineered stone, by cutting, chiselling, and polishing.

Why this matters

Breathing in the silica particles in stone dust over time can cause permanent, life-changing, and often fatal lung conditions.

This includes:

• silicosis
• chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• lung cancer

New guidance available

HSE has worked with the industry to create new guidance that will help protect worktop installers. The guidance explains what employers and workers need to do to stay safe from stone dust.

The guidance covers 3 main areas:

• competent staff and effective processes – how to ensure workers are properly trained and processes protect them
• pre-installation actions – what to do before installation begins
• on-site installation actions – how to work safely during installation

To find important safety advice and access further resources visit our Work Right campaign website.

You can also read HSE’s detailed guidance: Installing stone worktops: protect against harmful natural or artificial stone dust

HSE asbestos inspections

HSE inspectors are visiting the head offices of councils across the country to ensure asbestos risks are being managed effectively to keep people safe.  

The duty to manage asbestos covers a wide range of buildings, some regulated by HSE and others regulated by our colleagues in local authorities.

The inspections will assess how local authorities are managing the risks from asbestos within their buildings and meeting the duty to manage requirements under Regulation 4 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 (CAR).  

For further information on the duty to manage asbestos, you can: 

• read the press release about the local authority inspections
• watch our video: preparing for a duty to manage asbestos inspection
• download the Asbestos – Your Duty campaign assets

Protect workers from hand-arm vibration

Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) prosecution

Following a HSE investigation, a council was recently fined £60,000 for exposing workers to the risks arising from the use of vibrating tools.

Read more in our press release: Council fined after workers exposed to risks from vibrating tools.

Hand arm vibration exposure calculator

There were 215 new cases of HAVS recorded in Great Britain in 2023.

HSE’s hand-arm vibration calculator can assist you in calculating exposures along with guidance on how to use it.

Access the guidance, as well as a link to the calculator, on our webpage: the hand-arm vibration exposure calculator.

Upcoming HAVS training course

HSE is also running a one-day course around hand-arm vibration management on Tuesday 4 March 2025 at HSE’s Science and Research Centre in Buxton.

Book your place at Hand-arm vibration: management in the workplace.

Release of a video on the FaceFit Respirator Demonstrator model (FFRED)

In partnership with the British Safety Industry Federation, HSE has published a refreshed version of a video on the FaceFit Respirator Demonstrator model (FFRED).

The video is for tight-fitting RPE. It provides information for workers and their employers about:

• why it is important for individuals to have face fit tests for tight-fitting masks, such as disposable filtering face pieces (FFPs) and reusable half-face mask types
• the importance of it having a good seal to the face
• what happens if the respirator does not fit properly

You can watch the video on the FFRED.

HSE’s guidance on fit testing basics for RPE has also been refreshed to provide information of how to maintain the hygiene of face fit testing kit.

Free Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSD’s) Webinar

HSE and our publishing partner TSO are hosting a webinar around the effective management of upper limb MSD’s in the workplace on 13 February 2025 at 10:30am.

Book your place at the webinar registration link.