Britain's Workplace Health Regulator Updates Silica Guidance
Updated guidance on health surveillance for workers exposed to respirable crystalline silica is available from Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The guidance is intended to help employers comply with the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 2002, as amended, which require employers to assess risks related to the use of hazardous substances, prevent or control harmful exposures, and provide training and information to staff about hazardous substances at work. According to HSE, the guidance has been updated to emphasize occupational health professionals’ role in health surveillance. The refreshed publication also highlights worktop or countertop manufacturing and installation as high-risk occupations and stresses that dust generated by working with engineered stone will contain high levels of respirable crystalline silica.
Silicosis and silica-related diseases among stone workers, particularly those engaged in engineered stone fabrication and installation, have been on the rise. In recent years, outbreaks of silicosis among engineered stone workers have been identified in Israel, Spain, Australia, and the United States. Engineered stone can contain more than 90 percent crystalline silica content, far higher than the 10 to 45 percent typical with granite, according to a hazard alert (PDF) published by the United States’ OSHA and NIOSH. Engineered stone is a common material found in kitchen and bathroom countertops.
Beginning in July 2024, a ban on engineered stone went into effect in Australia, and in December, the standards-setting agency within the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health voted to permanently adopt the state’s emergency temporary standard for silica, which is particularly intended to protect people who work with artificial, human-made stone from silicosis.
HSE’s updated publication is available as a PDF.
For more information about reducing exposure to respirable crystalline silica during stone countertop fabrication, see the article “Protecting Stone Workers” in the October 2024 issue of The Synergist.
