The Health and Safety Executive has taken its first enforcement action under a nationwide inspection programme targeting the engineered stone sector, with several businesses ordered to stop work immediately after failing safety inspections.

Prohibition notices have been issued after inspections uncovered serious shortcomings in measures designed to protect workers from exposure to respirable crystalline silica, a hazardous dust linked to life-threatening lung disease.

Inspectors identified a range of failings including dry cutting without on-tool water suppression, inadequate mist control, insufficient or absent respiratory protective equipment, failures in health surveillance and machinery guarding issues.

The action forms part of more than 1,000 inspections of engineered stone fabricators across Great Britain during 2026, with HSE warning businesses that enforcement action will be taken where safety standards are not met.

Engineered stone, widely used for kitchen worktops and bathroom vanity surfaces, can contain up to 90% respirable crystalline silica. Inhaling the dust can cause irreversible diseases including silicosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer, although these are preventable with appropriate controls.

HSE said its two-year programme of research and industry engagement found dry fabrication typically exposes workers to respirable crystalline silica levels five to 10 times higher than equivalent wet cutting methods. It also found lower-silica engineered stone is available at the same quality.

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