More than half of kitchen worktop stone makers are carrying out unsafe cutting which leaves workers vulnerable to the toxic dust that causes silicosis, according to early evidence from the first nationwide investigation.
During a Parliamentary debate on the danger of silica dust, MPs praised The i Paper’s “extremely important” Killer Kitchens campaign which is exposing the lethal risks from cutting engineered stone – or quartz – worktops without proper safety tools.
More than 50 UK quartz stonemasons, many in their 20s and 30s, have been diagnosed with the incurable lung disease silicosis since mid-2023, with at least four dying and others referred for lung transplants. Recent analysis suggests the true figure could be more than 1,000.
Following pressure from this newspaper, a 12-month blitz to inspect the safety practices of 1,000 firms is underway. Of the handful checked so far by Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspectors, more than half have been found to be risking workers’ lives, Government minister Sir Stephen Timms told MPs.
Thirteen businesses have been inspected since the end of April and of the 11 still trading, six were ordered to stop processing immediately with prohibition notices issued due to “dry cutting” without water to dampen the lethal lung-shredding dust as well as unguarded machinery.
