Joe Duggan

And that analysis has estimated there's around 7,000 workers working in the industry.

We're working on a story based on that analysis at the minute this week.

So the latest figures so far are that there are diagnosed 55 workers with silicosis since mid-2023.

At least four have died.

But the doctors do believe that there's probably a significant number more that are out there that haven't been diagnosed yet.

Who is meant to be regulating this?

The Health and Safety Executive.

I believe that the answer the DWP minister gave at the time came from HSE figures.

So they have recently, in fact last week, brought in their most significant intervention in this area since this issue developed.

They did a couple of years of analysis.

on the problem and what they've done is they've issued their first regulatory guidance to specifically address the engineered stone industry which tells firms dry cutting without what is banned water suppressing methods are you are legally obliged to use those we're going to be now undergoing a nationwide inspection campaign of a thousand businesses over the next 12 months and we're going to basically crack down on firms that aren't doing this so

It's going to be really interesting over the next few months to see there will be firms getting caught exposing workers to dangerous dust levels.

So you would expect there to be intervention from the HSE.

Yeah, it is.

I mean, also last week as well, there was another development in this story, which should also really, really help things.

There's a new kite mark scheme is being introduced by the industry and by the British Occupational Hygiene Society, which is the chartered society for workplace protection.

What that's going to mean is occupational hygienists are going to inspect firms and ensure that they are wet cutting and ensure there's a whole list of checks that need to be done.

Once these independent occupational hygienists have done that, they'll be able to mark the slabs with a kite mark to indicate this slab has been cut safely, this firm is following the rules.

I mean, silica dust has been a problem for years and they have been.

It's not just something that exists in the engineered stone industry.