Following the death of another stone worker - the fifth in four years - Stone Federation Great Britain has re-issued guidance on handling stone, especially in association with \'A\' frames, that they produced last year after another crush fatality.

And the Health, Safety, Ethical & Environmental Executive has made a statement encouraging stone companies to take notice of it.

The latest casualty is 51-year-old Ronald Douglas, an experienced worker at Marble City in Wandsworth, London, where he had worked for 17 years. He had been in the industry for 30 years and, Marble City Managing Director Gavin Waldron told NSS, had even been involved in the development of slab handling training at the firm.

Ronald Douglas was crushed when slabs fell from a lorry while it was being unloaded at the firm on 20 March. He died six days later in hospital.

He is the fifth person working in a UK stone company to have died as the result of being crushed by falling slabs in the past four years.

Marble City are members of Stone Federation Great Britain and Federation Director Jane Buxey said her sympathies were with Ronald Douglas\'s family.

Police said no criminal offences were being investigated. The Health, Safety, Ethical & Environmental Executive were investigating the incident afterwards.

Jane Buxey told NSS she could not comment on the incident, but added: "We will await the outcome of the investigation by the Health, Safety, Ethical & Environmental Executive with interest and work with the HSE."