Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many inspections the Health and Safety Executive has undertaken relating to excessive workplace temperatures in each of the last five years.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prioritises its resources to concentrate on the most serious risks and target dutyholders with the worst risk management record. Therefore, there have been no proactive inspections specifically relating to excessive workplace temperature.
HSE uses a targeted blend of interventions to deliver its strategy and maximise its impact. The main interventions are:
As part of this HSE provides guidance for employers to manage the risk to workers, including from extreme heat. HSE issued a press release on Friday 19 June to raise awareness of managing the risks to workers to help workplaces in the current hot weather.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
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 (a) reduce the number of deaths resultant from falls from a ladder and (b) improve the safety of people working from heights.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
Falls from height, including from ladders, remain a leading cause of fatal injury. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) treats this as a core enforcement priority.
To reduce deaths from falls from a ladder, HSE enforces the Work at Height Regulations 2005 (WAH), which require employers to ensure work at height is properly planned, supervised and carried out safely. This includes only using ladders where appropriate and safer alternatives are unavailable, ensuring workers are competent, and that equipment is suitable, properly maintained and inspected. HSE also provides targeted guidance on the safe use of ladders, available at Safe use of ladders and stepladders - HSE.
To improve the safety of people working at height, Regulation 6 of WAH places duties on employers and the self-employed to perform risk assessments and follow the hierarchy of controls; avoid work at height where possible, prevent falls through suitable equipment such as working platforms and guard rails, and minimise consequences where risk remains. HSE supports this through inspections, enforcement and guidance, including on planning, supervision, competence and safe systems of work.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of workers exposed to respirable crystalline silica dust in the engineered stone sector.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
Great Britain has a robust and well-established regulatory framework to protect workers from health risks arising from exposure to hazardous substances, including respirable crystalline silica under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002. The right controls, including water suppression of dust and mist control, appropriate respiratory protective equipment and effective ventilation, can prevent exposure to respirable crystalline silica when processing engineered stone products.
The Health and Safety Executive has published guidance specifically for engineered stone processing, highlighting how employers can protect their workers from stone dust when hand processing, supported by the inspection campaign. Inspections of all workshops known to be cutting engineered stone are being undertaken by Health and Safety Executive inspectors this year to ensure that the obligations of duty holders to comply with that law, including in relation to employee health surveillance, are being enforced. Inspectors will be carrying out more than 1,000 inspections across the industry and where standards are not met, enforcement action is being taken.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department is considering the introduction of a national screening programme for workers exposed to silica dust in the engineered stone industry.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
Active health surveillance is a mandatory duty placed upon relevant duty holders under health and safety law, which will detect and tackle ill health amongst workers who may be exposed. Employers are required to act on the results they receive and workers should also inform their employer if they are concerned about symptoms. Voluntary health screening, which does not connect to a system of health surveillance through the employer, falls within the remit of the Department of Health and Social Care.
A programme of inspections of all workshops known to be cutting engineered stone is being undertaken by the Health and Safety Executive this year, to ensure that the obligations of duty holders - including in relation to employee health surveillance - are being complied with.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Government is taking to help ensure compliance with Health and Safety Executive guidance prohibiting dry cutting of engineered stone without water suppression controls.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has launched a campaign to highlight clear expectations for what businesses must do in recently published guidance and on HSEs Workright website.
HSE will be carrying out more than 1000 inspections to every site it can identify that works with engineered stone. Where standards are not met, enforcement action is being taken, including issuing improvement or prohibition notices that require a duty holder to make improvements or stop dangerous activities.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether additional funding has been allocated to the Health and Safety Executive to support inspections and enforcement activity in engineered stone workshops and related workplaces.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) receives funding from the Department to support its role as workplace health and safety regulator. It is for HSE to prioritise how best to use that funding to support its core activities. HSE has identified resource from within its existing budget to undertake work on engineered stone workshops and related workplaces.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Government plans to introduce a statutory prohibition on dry cutting of high-silica engineered stone without appropriate dust suppression measures.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
Workers can be protected if the right control measures are in place to prevent exposure to harmful dust. The Health and Safety Executive will be carrying out more than 1000 inspections and where standards are not met, enforcement action is being taken to prohibit dry processing and require improvements in controls for dust. Further statutory restrictions on dry cutting engineered stone are not currently being proposed.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps with the Health and Safety Executive to reinstate proactive inspections in the agriculture industry.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
As an independent regulator, it is for Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to determine how to use its resources when considering how best to meet the objectives outlined in its ten year strategy Protecting people and places: HSE strategy 2022 to 2032.
For the agricultural sector HSE uses a range interventions to promote health and safety in the workplace. In 2024 it ran an agricultural media campaign “Your Farm Your Future”, a successful example of using HSE and industry voices to reinforce safety messages and reach a wide range of farmers and farm workers. This campaign was able to reach and influence many more farmers than inspections would have allowed using the same level of resource.
HSE also engages with the industry through a variety of other methods including delivering industry talks; webinars and presentations; engaging with the media and writing articles; producing industry notifications which include safety messaging; and producing awareness raising campaigns. It also produces a range of freely available guidance to enable farmers to comply with health and safety law and keep themselves and others safe.
HSE’s commitment to working with agriculture stakeholders to help change behaviours within the industry and improve the health and safety performance of the farming industry remains strong. HSE will continue to inspect where it has intelligence to suggest risk is not being managed, and to investigate incidents in line with its selection criteria.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of regulatory protections against occupational exposure to respirable crystalline silica; whether he plans to review workplace exposure limits and enforcement arrangements in high-risk sectors including construction, stone working and manufacturing; what guidance has been issued to the Health and Safety Executive on inspections of workplaces where engineered stone or other high-silica materials are processed; what arrangements are in place to monitor the respiratory health of workers in occupations with elevated exposure risks; what support is available through Government schemes for workers diagnosed with silicosis linked to workplace exposure; and what further steps he will take to restrict or regulate engineered stone products with high crystalline silica content.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
Great Britain has a well-established regulatory framework under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (as amended) (COSHH) that requires employers to control exposure to substances that can cause ill health, such as respirable crystalline silica (RCS). Under this framework the risk of exposure to RCS can be properly managed using recognised control measures meeting well established standards. This framework also requires the effectiveness of controls to be maintained and workers trained to use such controls. Employers must also ensure that employees who are, or are liable to be, exposed to RCS are under suitable health surveillance.
The current workplace exposure limit (WEL) for RCS has been in place in Great Britain since 1st October 2006. It provides a long-term exposure limit of 0.1 mg/m3. In 2020, the EU adopted the same limit as Great Britain. COSHH also requires that, regardless of any limit set for RCS, dutyholders must continuously strive to control exposure in line with the principles of good practice, as defined in Schedule 2A of the regulations. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has no plans to review the WEL for RCS.
HSE is taking a multi-phase approach to address the risk of silicosis from working with engineered stone. This includes inspection and enforcement activity combined with targeted research, the publication of guidance, and engagement with suppliers, trade associations, and other representative bodies. HSE inspectors make proportionate enforcement decisions that can include provision of advice, service of enforcement notices and prosecution, in line with HSE’s Enforcement Policy Statement and Enforcement Management Model.
In January 2025, HSE published guidance for installers of stone worktops and anyone who cuts or works with stone, outlining the steps necessary to control exposure risks. This guidance emphasises the importance of competent, trained staff and safe processes. Multi-lingual guidance has also been published for workers exposed to RCS. (https://workright.campaign.gov.uk/artificial-stone/).
The COSHH regulations require employers to ensure that employees who are, or are liable to be, exposed to RCS are under suitable health surveillance. The current health surveillance guidance states that if there is a risk of developing conditions, such as accelerated silicosis, the timing and performance of health surveillance should be adapted with suitable timescales if there is history of significant over-exposure to RCS.
HSE has not proposed restriction on the use of engineered stone as silica is a naturally occurring material and natural stone can have similar RCS content to engineered stone, as such restricting the use of engineered stone does not remove the risk to stoneworkers. HSE has undertaken research to investigate the use of lower silica products and is confident that lower silica products are as useable as high silica content products and pose a lower risk for workers. The range of lower silica products on the market has continued to increase and the take up of these low alternatives is growing reinforced by the wider sharing and promotion of HSE ’s research results and regulatory expectations for exposure control with trade associations, suppliers and employers.
People diagnosed with silicosis may be eligible to claim Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (IIDB). Silicosis is recognised as an industrial disease, and the level of benefit awarded is based on an assessment of the individual's degree of disablement by an independent medical professional. In some cases, additional allowances may also be available depending on individual circumstances.
Where the entitlement criteria are met, individuals may also be eligible for a lump‑sum payment under the Pneumoconiosis etc. (Workers’ Compensation) Act 1979, which provides further financial support for people with certain dust‑related diseases, including silicosis.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to enforce guidance around Working Time Regulations in maternity services to encourage safe working practices in maternity care.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) provides readily accessible guidance to all employers on the Working Time Regulations 1998 on its website and is responsible for the enforcement of the maximum weekly working time limit, night work limits, and health assessments for night work. Issues relating to rest periods and time off are a matter for an Employment Tribunal.
It is the duty of each individual NHS trust, or employing organisation, to ensure they have systems in place to comply with these regulations. HSE responds to all concerns related to working time in a proportionate way, which may include activities such as stakeholder engagement, inspections and investigations, and taking robust enforcement action if employers are not complying with legal requirements.