The i Paper’s senior reporter, Joe Duggan, has been shortlisted for the Public Service prize at the British Journalism Awards.
The Public Service prize recognises British journalism which has had an impact and been a force for good.
Duggan has been nominated for his tireless work in uncovering the deadly lung condition, silicosis, which is linked to cutting kitchen countertops.
A major health and safety alert was issued by the UK’s watchdog following the deaths of young tradespeople.
The Government has also said two major UK importers of engineered stone have “agreed to manage the silica content of imports to the equivalent, or lower, than that of natural stone”.
Both the alert and Government crackdown came after Duggan’s long-running investigation into the unsafe cutting of engineered stone.
Kevin Bampton, chair of the British Occupational Hygiene Society, said in August this year that The i Paper’s reporting had “made a critical difference to workers in engineered stone and will have shifted the dial for the kitchen workshop industry to protect workers”.
Malik Al-Khalil, 31, who spoke to The i Paper last year from hospital after being among the first UK workers diagnosed with silicosis caused by cutting stone kitchen worktops (Photo: Tom Pilston/The i Paper)Duggan first highlighted the cases of silicosis in tradespeople, particularly migrant workers, in February 2024.
Silicosis is a risk to workers exposed to dust while cutting high-silica stone in industries from mining to construction.
Since then, he has exposed the hazards faced by those working with the kitchen worktop material and the increasing number of cases of silicosis being reported.
His investigation into the issue has brought it to the attention of the Health and Safety Executive, unions and the Government.
In October 2024, the Health and Safety Executive drafted new new rules in an effort to protect tradespeople amid a rising number of cases of the deadly lung disease.
Duggan’s work for The i Paper was praised for uncovering the issue by the head of the UK’s chartered body for workplace health protection (the British Occupational Hygiene Society) who pointed out the update from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) “will undoubtedly save lives”.
Earlier this month, Duggan revealed union officials had repeatedly urged the Government to ban engineered stone – also known as quartz – at a Westminster meeting.
The warnings were heard at a meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Occupational Safety and Health.
Labour peer and vice-chair of the APPG Lord John Hendy called on the Government to consider a ban on engineered stone. Australia became the first country to ban engineered stone last year.
The plea comes as the number of recorded cases of the lung disease among exposed workers has grown to more than 40, with the deaths of at least two men from the disease.
Duggan spoke to one of them, Marek Marzec, in October 2024 just weeks before his death.
Mr Marzec told The i Paper: “I am not the only person whose life has been put at risk by this lethal dust.
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“It is time for urgent action to stop these dangerous working conditions I had to face before other stone workers contract this terrible disease and die.”
The father-of-three, from Poland, died in December from respiratory failure due to silicosis.
But his message has survived in Duggan’s relentless reporting of the issue.
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