UK Cracks Down on Silica Dust from Engineered Stone Worktops

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has issued its first regulatory guidance on cutting engineered-stone kitchen worktops. The guidance makes wet-cutting with water-suppressing tools a legal requirement and bans dry cutting outright. To enforce the rules, HSE will launch a nationwide inspection campaign covering 1,000 stone-fabrication businesses, with non-compliant firms facing unlimited fines, up to two years’ imprisonment, or criminal prosecution.

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Silicosis, an incurable lung disease caused by respirable crystalline silica (RCS), was first linked to engineered quartz in the UK in 2023. More than 50 workers have since been diagnosed, many of them young stonemasons who cut quartz slabs without adequate dust control. The disease is preventable when exposure limits are observed, yet cases are rising as engineered stone—containing up to 95 % silica—gains popularity for its low cost compared with natural marble or granite.

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• Ryan Fenton, 50-year-old former stonemason and vocal advocate for a ban.

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• Health and Safety Executive (HSE), regulator issuing the new guidance.

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• Trades Union Congress (TUC) and Unite the Union, supporting a full ban on man-made quartz.

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• Liz Jarvis, Liberal Democrat MP for Eastleigh, who raised a parliamentary bill on silicosis prevention.

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• Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), overseeing HSE and commenting on regulatory implications.

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• Over 50 UK workers diagnosed with silicosis linked to engineered stone.

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• Engineered quartz can contain as much as 95 % silica, far higher than natural stone.

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• HSE research found dry cutting releases RCS at levels five to ten times higher than wet cutting.

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• Australia recorded its first quartz-related silicosis cases in 2015 and imposed a ban in 2024.

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• California (USA) reports more than 500 cases; Spain reports thousands.

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• HSE’s position: “the most ‘effective and proportionate’ action is to ensure proper controls are in place and actively enforced.”

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• DWP cautioned that “banning or restricting engineered stone supply would have implications for the use of natural stone with similar levels of silica dust, known as respirable crystalline silica (RCS).”

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• MP Liz Jarvis warned that guidance must be “regularly and effectively enforced” and urged the government to act “quickly and ambitiously” to combat silicosis.

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Fenton argues that existing controls are insufficient, calling for an outright ban: “Just ban it. Find an alternative.” The TUC, Unite, and several UK doctors echo his concerns, noting that Australia’s earlier ban halted a growing epidemic. Fenton adds that the current measures arrived “three to five years too late.”

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While HSE emphasizes enforcement of wet-cutting, critics contend that many tradespeople lack access to water-fed tools, especially on-site in customers’ homes. No data have been released on compliance rates or the number of firms already using approved dust-control equipment, leaving a gap in assessing the guidance’s real-world impact.

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• “It’s a good thing that they’re doing something. But, sadly, it’s come three to five years too late,” — Ryan Fenton

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• “Fenton said: “What makes me laugh is, when I was first diagnosed, they’re saying that there were already these health and safety regulations in place, and I’m like, really?” — Ryan Fenton

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• “The regulator’s position is that, rather than an outright ban on quartz, the most “effective and proportionate” action is to ensure proper controls are in place and actively enforced.” — Health and Safety Executive (HSE)

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• “Liz Jarvis, Liberal Democrat MP for Eastleigh, who raised a presentation bill in Parliament calling for better provisions to prevent silicosis, praised The i Paper’s Killer Kitchens campaign, but added: “I am concerned that the crux of the problem may not be fixed because whilst the guidance is welcome, it needs to be regularly and effectively enforced and more could be done to address concerns around the monitoring of silicosis.” — Liz Jarvis, MP for Eastleigh

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• “ The Department for Work and Pensions, which oversees the HSE, has said banning or restricting engineered stone supply would have implications for the use of natural stone with similar levels of silica dust, known as respirable crystalline silica (RCS).” — Department for Work and Pensions

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Following the guidance rollout, HSE will inspect 1,000 stone-fabrication sites over the coming months. Findings from the inspection blitz are expected to shape future regulatory decisions, including whether stricter controls or a ban on engineered quartz will be pursued.

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