European Commission approves patented plant that eliminates CO2 in industrial production processes

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has released a report highlighting 215 new cases of Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) in Great Britain during 2023.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published a new guide for people fabricating and installing stone worktops. This guidance is designed to remind dutyholders and workers about the need to ensure that suitable procedures and controls are in place to help protect against exposure to stone dust and prevent workers breathing in respirable crystalline silica (RCS).

Researchers from the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) will survey the sector as part of the professional body’s ongoing mission to address mental health problems within the industry.

The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) has awarded the first Paul Dockerill Award to Dr Scott McGibbon to develop a new silica safety toolkit, expected to launch in 2026.

Worktop Fabricators Federation members and sponsors met with Health and Safety Executive representatives to discuss a new document advising on measures to prevent silicosis.

The International Surface Fabricators Association (ISFA) and the Worktop Fabricators Federation (WFF) have announced a partnership aimed at expanding resources, education and advocacy for surface fabricators across the globe.

MP Skills has become a member of the Association of Mental Health First Aiders, the first and only membership body in England dedicated to supporting mental health first aiders. This association, launched by Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) England, represents a significant step forward a commitment to enhancing mental health support and fostering a culture of wellbeing in the workplace and beyond.

The Worktop Fabricators Federation (WFF) has responded to growing concerns around silicosis with the release of a statement.

A new paper in the BMJ's International Respiratory & Critical Care Journal has reported the first eight cases of silicosis in those who cut and finish artificial stone worktops in the UK. The review found that one patient died and others are waiting for assessment for a lung transplant.

Italian industrial machine and plant specialist, Breton has launched its own White Paper – in response to the growing fears surrounding crystalline silica and the threat of silicosis. The company has produced an in-depth analysis drawing on its 60 years of experience in the stone industry and has been created by Breton Institute of Technology (BIT) scientists led by marketing & strategy director Arianna Toncelli.

An alliance in New Zealand, which includes New Zealand Council of Trade Unions, Construction Health and Safety New Zealand, the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation and others has written an open letter calling on the government to introduce a ban on engineered stone benchtops, panels and slabs.

In its latest report, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has outlined its annual statistics concerning work-related fatal injuries. The findings, released on 3 July, reveal that 138 workers were killed in work-related accidents in 2023/24.

Australia's landmark ban on the manufacture, supply, processing and installation of engineered stone benchtops, panels and slabs commenced today.

Five sector organisations unite at Hillhead 2024 to improve health and safety in the mineral products industry

According to its latest Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), Portland Stone by Albion shows the embodied carbon of Portland Stone extracted at Albion Stone’s mines and manufactured at the company’s factory has reduced by 68% since 2020.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has designated April as Stress Awareness Month and, as part of its Working Minds campaign has called on employers to support workers' mental health by employing five simple tips.

Burlington Stone in Kirkby-in-Furness has recently become the first quarry in the UK to trial new live air monitoring equipment as part of an initiative by the Minerals Product Association (MPA) in conjunction with Trolex Engineering

The director of a worktop supplier in the West Midlands has been sentenced following the death of a worker who was crushed by two granite slabs each weighing 250kg in 2020

The Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity will be visiting construction sites across the UK and Ireland in 2024 as part of its #MakeItVisible tour aiming to deliver wellbeing support and companies in the industry can request a free visit via its website

Waters Group has become the official distributor for the CleanSpace range of Powered Air Purifying Respirators (PAPR) in the UK stone industry.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) will begin site inspections focusing on moving and handling construction materials from September onwards

Man dies after slabs of stone fall on him. Companies reminded of the dangers of handling slabs of stone.

Steven Tyson suffered multiple broken bones, including a fractured skull, when a wall collapsed on him during a barn conversion.

A man died on 17 March at Scottish stone company Tradstocks' premises in Five Sisters Business Park, West Calder.

With women making up just 14% of the people working in the construction industry, International Women’s Day on 8 March each year highlights the opportunities for increasing diversity in construction.

Australia is moving towards stricter regulations regarding the use of engineered quartz and possibly banning it altogether.

Stonemason housebound by diseases from dust talks to health product company Trolex

New publication on controlling stone dust from HSE

In Australia a union representing stone workers has called on the government to ban the use of engineered stone to protect its members from silcosis.