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The Government has ruled out a ban on engineered stone kitchen worktops, despite growing calls to outlaw them, including in the House of Lords, due to serious health concerns. did.
Green Party colleague Natalie Bennett urged ministers to consider banning the sale of stone countertops, which have been linked to a fatal lung disease in tradespeople, saying it was a “life-or-death problem” for these workers. ”, he warned.
As revealed by IThe first cases of silicosis had been reported in the UK in workers cutting artificial stone surfaces without proper safety precautions.
The lung disease is caused by inhaling large amounts of crystalline silica dust and is associated with around 12 deaths a year in the UK over the decade to 2021, according to Health and Safety Executive (HSE) statistics. It is believed that. However, experts believe the actual number of victims is likely to be much higher.
Baroness Bennett said: I The government insists that there is no problem with the continued use of artificial stone, saying, “We do not intend to clean it for that long.”
In December, Australia became the first country in the world to announce a ban on engineered stone after an “epidemic” of silicosis among workers who inhaled toxic dust while cutting slabs. The ban covers use, supply and manufacturing and will come into effect in July.
In the United States, the state of California temporarily moved to protect workers after a Latin immigrant stonemason who had just reached middle age contracted an incurable disease before needing a lung transplant or dying. introduced emergency regulations.
Greenpeer says of the UK: “Some of the major factories may certainly have adequate health and safety measures in place. But when you realize there wasn’t enough space dug for that pipe or something, a small What’s going on in the workshop in the back garage? What’s actually going on in the field?”
“I think what the government needs to do is ask very tough questions of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) about what data they have and what reports are coming in.”
Baroness Bennett called for a ban similar to those in Australia and California, adding that “making rules around exposure levels is not very effective” in helping people such as contractors and independent traders.
“Not having these kitchen benchtops is not a matter of life and death, but it is a matter of life and death for the people who install them and die as a result,” she added.
However, despite pressure, Downing Street denied banning the use and sale of the material, insisting that current measures to protect workers were sufficient.
The Prime Minister’s deputy spokesperson said: “There are currently no plans for such a ban. We keep the agreement under constant review, but at the moment we are satisfied with the agreement set out by health and safety officials.
“Their advice to the government is that they themselves are not looking to restrict their use any further. It’s because I’m here.
“But of course we’ll continue to look at that and I think we’ll also be working on further studies to look at how these cases are diagnosed,” she added. Ta.