Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to raise awareness among (a) employers and (b) workers of the risks of silica exposure.

Great Britain has a well-established regulatory framework under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (as amended) (COSHH), which requires employers to protect workers’ health by preventing exposure to Respirable Crystalline Silica (RCS).

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), as the regulator for workplace health and safety, is carrying out a range of activities to tackle the risks of silicosis from work that can generate RCS. HSE has delivered several national inspection campaigns and has engaged with trade associations, material suppliers and manufacturers of products about legal responsibilities for ensuring adequate controls are in place when processing stone products.

Guidance for employers, workers, managers and supervisors is available on HSE’s website and the Government’s Workright website setting out how workers can be protected from exposure to RCS. In response to specific concerns about risks of working with engineered stone an information leaflet, launched jointly with the Worktop Fabricators Federation (WFF) and the Stone Federation, targets those in control of such work promoting risk awareness, required control measures and sources of further information. HSE also worked with the British Occupational Hygiene Society, the WFF and Safety Remotely to launch a free online training tool to help anyone working in the kitchen worktop industry.

An information leaflet was launched on HSE’s website in October 2025 specifically to raise awareness amongst workers, including translations in Polish, Punjabi and Arabic.