Inspectors found health and safety laws were broken almost 400 times during checks on 226 firms cutting worktops, after The i Paper‘s Killer Kitchens campaign revealed how stonemasons are being left vulnerable to toxic silica dust.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) launched the first nationwide inspection of 1,000 quartz fabricators in April, following revelations that dozens of young workers had been diagnosed with silicosis, an incurable lung disease, from exposure to lethal dust.
Almost 60 workers have been diagnosed so far, although doctors believe the true number is much higher, with many falling ill or dying in their 20s, 30s and 40s after cutting quartz – which has become the UK’s most popular stone for homeowners having kitchen makeovers.
The inspection results that have been revealed are based on interim data, with fuller figures due later this year.
Safety rules flouted
HSE inspectors have so far carried out 226 inspections of firms, leading to inspectors serving 394 enforcement notices, which are legally binding.
The two main types of notice are improvement notices, where workplaces are given a deadline to fix a specific breach; and prohibition notices, issued for more dangerous activity that involves an immediate risk of serious injury.
If a firm receives a prohibition notice, it must stop work immediately and fix the issue, and can only resume when the HSE says it is satisfied. Ignoring these notices is a crime.
It is not yet clear how many of the 226 firms received notices. However, the results underline the risks carried by stonemasons working at companies where rules are flouted.
It is also unclear how many of the 394 enforcement notices were prohibition notices for exposing workers to potentially fatal dust, although early inspections of 13 businesses resulted in at least four such notices being issued owing to “dry cutting” and unguarded machinery.
“Dry cutting” refers to the practice of cutting quartz without water to dampen dust. In May, HSE announced that “wet cutting” – working with water-based tools – was a legal requirement.
‘Government needs to go further and faster’
The latest data was revealed by Sir Stephen Timms, the minister who oversees the HSE, in response to a parliamentary question.
Liz Jarvis, Liberal Democrat MP for Eastleigh who tabled the question, told The i Paper: “The fact that there have been 394 enforcement notices served as a result of these inspections shows what a huge issue this is.
“The Government needs to ensure that HSE goes further and faster to urgently protect workers from the risks associated with engineered stone.”
However, Timms said: “At this stage of the inspection programme it is not possible to draw general conclusions about the overall levels of compliance in the sector.”
Marek Marzec died in November 2024, just seven months after he was diagnosed with silicosisA worldwide epidemic
In 2024, The i Paper revealed the UK’s first cases of engineered stone silicosis had been detected, with two years of campaigning leading to the HSE’s most significant intervention in the sector earlier this year.
Cases of silicosis from cutting engineered stone have exploded in countries including the US, Spain and Australia. In 2024, Australia became the first country to ban the material as a result of the illnesses.
More than 6,000 cases have been recorded worldwide, with tradespeople falling ill – and dying – much younger than workers who contracted the disease from quartz dust exposure in other industries such as construction or mining.
Four quartz stonemasons are known to have died since the UK’s first cases were diagnosed in mid-2023. An inquest into the death of one of the men, Marek Marzec, 48, resumes later this month in London.
Screening programme could be on way
A screening programme to allow early detection of silicosis in kitchen stone workers – one of The i Paper’s campaign calls – could be considered by health chiefs in the coming months, this paper understands.
Unions have called for the UK to follow Australia and ban quartz outright.
A HSE spokesperson said: “Since HSE’s latest guidance to tackle the dangers of silica dust from engineered stone was launched, our inspectors have visited hundreds of firms across the country to make sure it is being put into practice.
“Where companies have fallen short we have taken swift enforcement action to protect workers.”
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