Manufacturing industry - Silica dust
Dust from natural or artificial stone can cause serious illness. With a rise in the popularity of artificial stone kitchen and bathroom worktops, there is a rising concern that workers involved in their manufacture and installation are at a high risk of early-onset fatal lung disease.
What is Respirable Crystalline Silica (RCS)?
Silica is a naturally occurring mineral found in varying amounts in most rocks, sand and clay engineered stone or artificial stone. It is used in kitchen and bathroom worktop manufacturing can contain up to 95 percent silica dust.
During cutting, sanding and grinding of these silica-containing materials, very fine dust is produced, some of which is small enough to reach deep inside the lungs and cause serious harm to health.
Health risks
Anyone who breathes in RCS should know the damage it can do to the lungs and airways. The main RCS dust-related diseases affecting stone workers, especially those who work with engineered stone are:
The law
The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003 (COSHH) requires health surveillance when your workers remain exposed to health risks, even after controls have been put in place:
- Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003 - (legislation.gov.uk)
Employers’ duties
- COSHH assessments should be carried out for all stone cutting, whether in a factory setting or on site during installation
- consider the hierarchy of controls (Respiratory Protective Equipment alone should not be relied upon as a control measure)
- information, instruction, training and supervision of employees is necessary
- ensure controls are effective; this should consider health surveillance
Controls
In the factory
- consider whether dust can be reduced during cutting by using a thinner, slow-moving reciprocating saw with water suppression and good ventilation
- do as much cutting, shaping and polishing in a suitably equipped workplace, rather than on-site
- clean dust from worktops before transport
- never dry brush
During installation
- ensure only minor modifications are carried out on-site in a well-ventilation, segregated area with restricted access.
- use water-suppression or on-tool extraction with a shroud and dust collector attached to an M-class vacuum
- wear appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE) (dust masks) - you must be clean shaven and face fit tested for an FFP3 rated mask
- never dry brush
More information
For more information on Silica Dust please see the following links:
- Health in manufacturing - Resource list
- Stone cutters - Are you protecting your lungs - Poster
- Silica Dust topic page