WOBO is pleased to provide links to issues and matters taking place within the UK and the promotion of safety

HSE publish new advice for stone worktop installers

Britain’s workplace safety regulator has published a guide of do’s and don’ts for people installing stone worktops.

The Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) guidance is designed to highlight the need for suitable procedures and controls being in place to help protect against exposure to stone dust and prevent workers breathing in respirable crystalline silica (RCS).

Stone workers are at risk of exposure to airborne particles of stone dust containing RCS when processing stone, including engineered stone, by cutting, chiselling and polishing. Over time, breathing in these silica particles can cause irreversible, life-changing and often fatal respiratory conditions such as silicosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer. Last year, medical experts called on the UK government to ban artificial stone worktops after links to accelerated forms of silicosis.

The document provides practical guidance for installers, their managers and supervisors who are involved in the installation of stone worktops (whether made of natural, artificial or engineered stone).

Ill-fitting personal protective equipment is not only damaging for morale but also potentially dangerous. Women must have the items they need to do their jobs effectively

One of the biggest issues in the field of personal protective equipment (PPE) is the need to ensure women receive properly fitting and tailored equipment, rather than relying on generic stock designed for men.

It’s an area that’s gaining traction and the message seems to be getting through. 82 per cent of respondents to the 2024 Health & Safety Report, produced by RS in association with HSM, believe more needs to be done to ensure PPE is suitable for women. And with women accounting for at least 40 per cent of the workforce in one in four organisations that responded, there is good reason why this issue is on the agenda.

Yet, only one per cent of people who purchase PPE list the need for women’s PPE as an important factor when buying items. Much of this is likely down to cost, with 11 per cent identifying product cost as the main consideration when buying items.

Katherine Evans, mining geologist and founder of the female support network Bold as Brass, has made it her mission to raise awareness of the topic.

The emphasis on price over fit, with lower unit costs often being a result of buying in bulk, is all too familiar to her. “The bulk-buying side of it is difficult because people aren’t average and it’s supposed to be personal,” she said. “That’s the first P of PPE. PPE is treated like a commodity, not lifesaving equipment.”

 

Guidance on working in cold and wintry weather

Make sure you protect workers during low temperatures and wintry conditions.

You can find helpful advice from HSE on keeping people as comfortable as possible when working in the cold.

Our website offers information and guidance including:

• advice on how to protect workers in low temperatures
• clarity on what the law says about temperature in the workplace
• how you can assess the risks and manage workplace temperatures to protect workers

In addition, our workplace temperature checklist will help you carry out a basic risk assessment and you can read our guidance on preventing slips and trips in winter weather.

HSE as a market surveillance authority for workplace products

HSE monitors and enforces legal requirements on the safety of most products used in the workplace, including any risks to health.

HSE has a duty to notify the Secretary of State about unsafe or non-compliant products and of the measures taken and communicated by an economic operator.

Products notified to the HSE Product Safety and Market Surveillance Unit that present a serious or high risk to the health and safety of the user, and recalled products, are published on GOV.UK’s product safety alerts, reports and recalls webpage.

Recent examples of products notified are: