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, to date, a) how many of the 1,000+ planned inspections into engineered stone silica dust exposure has the Health and Safety Executive carried out since April 2026, and b) what have these inspections found.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
As of 1st September 2026, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has undertaken 226 inspections of premises where engineered stone may be being used, leading to inspectors serving 394 enforcement notices.
At this stage of the inspection programme it is not possible to draw general conclusions about the overall levels of compliance in the sector.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many reports received by the Health and Safety Executive in 2024-25 relating to falling objects from scaffolding onto public highways resulted in a site inspection.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
In 2024-25, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) carried out 67 site inspections relating to incidents involving falling objects from scaffolding onto public highways.
This comprised 23 inspections arising from concerns raised by members of the public and others, and 44 investigations following reports made under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR).
Asked by: Lee Barron (Labour - Corby and East Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department is considering a ban on engineered stone to prevent workers' increased exposure to silica dust.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
Great Britain has a well-established regulatory framework to protect workers from exposure to harmful dusts, including from processing engineered stone.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is delivering a targeted programme of over 1000 inspections to enforce duties on employers to prevent or adequately control exposure, as is required by the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002. HSE is also raising awareness of how to control the risk from using engineered stone through a focussed publicity campaign and engagement with industry stakeholders.
HSE will consider the findings from planned inspections, enforcement and engagement activities to assess whether additional restriction on the supply and use of engineered stone is necessary to prevent workers being exposed to silica dust from work activities using engineered stone products.
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.