Silicosis Debate in U.K. Parliament
LONDON — The debate over engineered stone and silicosis reached the floor of Parliament here earlier this month.
Although the government has played down the prospect of imposing a ban, members of parliament are also aware of legislation passing in Australia in 2024 prohibiting all but ultra-low-content crystalline silica surfaces.
During a June 2 debate in the House of Commons, Social Security/Disability Minister Stephen Timms noted that silicosis can also arise from natural stone, although Australia has also introduced restrictions covering it.
Timms also raised concerns that officials in Australia have highlighted that the ban led to complacency about the safety of other products that are not prohibited.
Some Labour Party and Liberal Democrat members called for a multi-armed strategy to tackle the risk of silicosis, including a ban on high-silica engineered stone.
They’re also calling for strengthened enforcement of existing regulations, improved surveillance and mandatory reporting of the issue, as well as a national education initiative.
Dry-cutting of engineered stone is already illegal in the United Kingdom due to the heightened risk of causing silicosis, which causes an estimated 500 deaths a year there.
MP Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat, Eastleigh) noted the personal costs of silicosis in recognizing Sandra Hudson, whose stoneworker husband George Elliott died of the disease in November 2024. Jarvis, who sponsored a bill concerning silicosis monitoring and regulation in the U.K. stone industry in March, led the Commons debate.
During the debate, Labour members also called on the government to introduce a national screening program to identify cases. A similar program in Australia revealed a quarter of screened workers had the disease.
Last month, the Health and Safety Executive announced it would inspect more than 1,000 fabricator sites to enforce safety standards in the use of engineered stone. So far, of the 13 sites inspected, only one was found to be operating in an exemplary way, according to Timms. Six were ordered to stop processing jobs immediately.
Brian Berry, chief executive of the Federation of Master Builders, has raised concern that many small operations may be unaware of the scale of the crackdown or the severity of the consequences. He said his message is that people need to comply now or risk facing the penalties.
