Silica Dust:

Experts have documented eight cases of silicosis in the UK

The danger of silica dust exposure has hit the headlines again. It comes after eight cases of silicosis have been documented in the UK over the last year. Silicosis, an incurable disease, has now been linked to the manufacture of kitchen worktops using artificial stone. Jo Feary, the lead author of the report and consultant at the Royal Brompton Hospital is calling for “urgent action” to protect workers. What is Silica?

Silica or ‘Respirable Crystalline Silica’ (RCS) is found in concrete, calcium silicate bricks, slates and artificial stone.

In a similar way to airborne asbestos fibres, silica dust is barely visible to the naked eye – but they pose a significant health risk when inhaled, even in small amounts:

• For example, the Workplace Exposure Limit for respirable crystalline silica is 0.1mg/m³ of air: this is the equivalent of less than a grain of sand per cubic metre in a working day.
• As RCS is considered a carcinogen, exposure levels need to be as low as reasonably practicable, and not just below the exposure limit.

What are the risks?

Breathing in ‘construction dusts’ such as silica (RCS) over time poses the greatest risk to health. This often takes the form of a chronic respiratory disease, such as lung cancer, COPD, asthma or silicosis, which may take decades to develop. This report has found that median stone dust exposure was 12.5 years. All cases were dry cutting and polishing artificial stone worktops with inadequate safety measures.

Dr Feary’s findings highlight that kitchen worktops made from artificial stone (also called engineered or reconstituted stone or ‘quartz’) are cheaper than natural stone – such as granite or marble – but they contain significantly more silica. Stonemasons who cut this material could be breathing in high concentrations of silica dust, which could potentially lead to them developing a potentially fatal lung condition called silicosis.

Dr Feary says, “the first UK case of silicosis linked to the cutting of artificial stone – which is made from crushed rocks bound together with resins and pigments – was identified last year and medics have seen a rise in cases since”.

Why do we underestimate the risks of silica dust?

1. Construction dusts are a (mostly) invisible threat

As we have mentioned, breathable construction dusts are nearly impossible to see with the naked eye or sometimes present as a ‘dust cloud’.

In some cases, being aware of them on a busy construction site can be effectively impossible without the right equipment or testing methods.

Equally, immediate safety risks, such as mechanical, fire or electrical hazards can appear as a much more urgent priority than protecting workers from construction dusts.

This has been a significant finding of HSE’s own ‘Dust Kills‘ campaign, in which 1,000 inspections carried out in 2023 revealed significant on-site failings, such as RPE not being worn (or not being face-fit tested), no ‘on-tool’ extraction being used on high-powered cutting tools, and no damping down of dust to prevent airborne circulation.

However, this is only part of the issue…

2. A lack of understanding

Secondly, the results of those inspections also indicate to us that it isn’t necessarily a lack of will to follow COSHH guidelines – concerningly, some construction teams simply aren’t aware of them at all.

The summary report of the inspection campaign revealed that:

“Inspectors are still finding sites where the hierarchy of controls are simply not considered at all; where no effective design or planning has taken place to eliminate risks from dust, such as considering the use of pre-cut materials, and nothing being in place to minimise the risks by use of suitable control measures, such as water suppression and on-tool extraction and the use of RPE.”

It might not be a case that we are underestimating them – but that certain teams simply don’t know they are there: which is even more hazardous.

That being said, there is another potential, much broader reason why construction teams are misunderstanding the risks of construction dusts…

3. A culture of safety… but what about health?

Finally, as we have discussed previously, there is a risk that construction sites place the most emphasis on ‘safety’ and often neglect measures to protect ‘health’.

For example, a fall hazard, fire or electrical risk on a construction site that could cause serious injury or death may appear far more urgent in the moment than stopping exposure to barely visible fumes, dusts and particulates, which take years to develop into life-threatening conditions.

The proof is in the statistics:

• In 2023, 135 people lost their lives due to safety-related accidents in the UK, such as falls or equipment-related incidents.
• By contrast, 12,000 people die each year from occupational respiratory illnesses, with a further 19,000 new cases of respiratory illnesses, such as COPD, arising each year.

Simply put, construction teams across the UK are adept at minimising safety risks. However, far greater attention needs to be placed on preventing chronic illnesses that develop over time – with construction dusts being a significant cause.

How can you protect yourself and your staff?

Broadly speaking, there are four steps to protecting your workforce:

1. Assess every potential risk, including your COSHH assessment

You need to complete a COSHH assessment before you start work to remain compliant with COSHH and EH40 guidelines. This will ensure that you understand the full scope of risks your workers are exposed to on your site, and protect them with sufficient remedial measures.

COSHH assessments will ensure you can identify potential risks before they disrupt a project, provided that all hazardous substances are identified.

Further to this, those working in the heritage sector may be exposed to lead-based paints, for which a specific risk assessment will be required under the Control of Lead at Work Regulations, and testing of affected paints would need to be organised.

• Plan your work

For example, avoiding unnecessary cutting, but also carrying out work in well-ventilated areas if possible.

• Put control measures in place

Once you know your ‘at-risk’ areas, you can control those risks. Water dampening an area can lessen the effects of dust clouds, whilst on-tool extraction with ventilation systems can capture hazardous airborne dusts early.

• Don’t neglect RP  (and face fit testing)

Your appropriate respiratory protective equipment needs to be worn, and it needs to fit your face to be effective.

However, the first principle before starting any work is to be aware of the risk.

If you work with asbestos, you are familiar with the legal requirement to have asbestos awareness training before working on a site where asbestos may be present.

We believe that when even experienced construction teams can underestimate the risks posed by construction dusts – and that so many continue to fall ill or lose their lives to them – the same attention needs to be drawn to construction dusts as asbestos, or other prominent health risks.

AEC Construction Dust Training

This is why AEC run pioneering half-day online construction dusts awareness sessions that ensure builders of all experience levels gain awareness of the risks and understand how to protect themselves from them.

AEC RPE Face Fit Services

AEC can support any occupational hygiene activity that will make your worksite safer – from monitoring air quality and fitting face masks to carrying out vital COSHH risk assessments.

Awareness about construction dusts will save lives, and it’s easier than you think to get support. Dr Feary notes, “the cases we present illustrate the failure of the employer to take responsibility for exposure control in their workplaces”. You can read the full article here: https://ow.ly/KCar50SVQBU

For more information about silica dust, go to our free resources to learn more about the risks: https://ow.ly/ysHu50SVQBV

Get construction dust training: https://ow.ly/9AXW50SVQBS