Britain’s workplace safety regulator says it won’t bring a prosecution over one of the UK’s first known silicosis death linked to kitchen stone worktops due to a lack of evidence.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the Metropolitan Police launched an investigation into the death of ex-stonemason Wessam Al-Jundi, 28, who died in May, 2024 at Harefield Hospital.
Mr Al-Jundi was admitted to hospital for a lung transplant after becoming seriously ill following his exposure to deadly dust while cutting kitchen worktops made of engineered stone, also known as quartz.
But the Syrian refugee, who arrived in the UK in 2015 after fleeing the war-torn country, was deemed unsuitable for a transplant as he was too unwell.
He died five days after arriving in hospital, with his widow later calling for workers enduring the same “terrible conditions” as her husband to be better protected.
