Stone companies are reminded of the dangers inherently associated with handling slabs of natural and engineered stone. The warning follows the death of a man after slabs fell on him at Stone Surface in Barking, Essex, on 31 May.

Officers from the Metropolitan Police were called just after 2pm when a man was reported to be injured on Barking Industrial Park, Alfreds Way, Barking, at the premises of Stone Surface. 

London Ambulance Service, London Fire Brigade and London's Air Ambulance attended the scene, but despite the efforts of emergency services the man was declared dead at the scene. His next of kin have been informed. 

The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) has been notified. An HSE spokesperson said: “We are aware of this incident and are investigating alongside the Metropolitan Police.”

Stone companies are reminded of the advice regarding the handling of large sheet stone slabs on the HSE website at www.hse.gov.uk/stonemasonry/handling-storage-slabs.htm. The first point made is: No person should be within the hazard zone into which a slab might fall while it is being handled.

There are various guides available from HSE, such as the Brief Guide to Lifting Equipment at Work that can be downloaded from www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg290.pdf.

Colleagues from the trade have been making donations to a page set up on Just Giving at www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/sandeepmalhi to pay for a funeral and help support two children.