HSE COSHH Essentials for Stonemasons – Silica (ST Series)
LEVCentral Expert Commentary
Respirable Crystalline Silica (RCS) remains one of the most serious occupational health hazards affecting the stone industry. Activities such as sawing, cutting, grinding, polishing, drilling and chiselling natural or engineered stone can generate large quantities of respirable dust capable of causing silicosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer and other irreversible respiratory diseases.
To help employers comply with the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations, HSE has produced the ST Series of COSHH Essentials guidance sheets specifically for stonemasonry. Rather than providing generic advice, each sheet focuses on a particular task and describes practical engineering controls, work methods, respiratory protective equipment (RPE), maintenance, health surveillance and housekeeping measures appropriate for that activity.
One of the strengths of the ST Series is that it consistently places engineering controls first. Wherever practicable, HSE recommends water suppression, Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV), enclosure and process isolation before relying on RPE. The guidance also recognises that successful dust control depends upon regular maintenance, competent supervision and ensuring that control measures are used correctly every time the task is undertaken.
Although developed specifically for stonemasonry, many of the principles described apply equally to construction, masonry, memorial masonry, engineered stone fabrication and other industries where respirable crystalline silica is generated.
Included Guidance Sheets
The ST Series currently includes:
- ST0 – Advice for Managers
- ST1 – Primary and Secondary Sawing
- ST2 – Rotary Tools: Boring and Polishing
- ST3 – Hand-held Rotary Tools: Cutting and Polishing
- ST3A – Cutting and Polishing Engineered Stone using Powered Hand-held Rotary Tools
- ST4 – Hand and Pneumatic Chiselling
- ST5 – Sawing Slate
- ST6 – Slate Splitting (Manual)
- ST7 – Dressing Slate (Edge Bevelling)
View HSE Guidance
Key Learning Points
- Respirable crystalline silica (RCS) is generated during many stoneworking operations.
- Engineering controls should always be the primary means of controlling exposure.
- Water suppression and Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV) should be used wherever practicable.
- Control measures should be selected according to the specific task being undertaken.
- Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE) supplements engineering controls—it does not replace them.
- LEV systems should be regularly maintained and thoroughly examined and tested.
- Air monitoring may be required to demonstrate adequate exposure control.
- Health surveillance should be provided where there is a reasonable likelihood of developing silica-related disease.
- Good housekeeping is essential to prevent settled dust becoming airborne again.
- Managers, supervisors and operators all have important roles in maintaining effective dust control.
Source Document Information
Organisation: Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
Document: COSHH Essentials for Stonemasons – Silica (ST Series)
Document Type: Industry-specific COSHH Essentials Guidance
Primary Topics: Respirable Crystalline Silica (RCS), LEV, Water Suppression, Stonemasonry, COSHH
Audience: Stonemasons, Memorial Masons, Engineered Stone Fabricators, LEV Designers, Occupational Hygienists, Health & Safety Professionals, Employers and Duty Holders.
Further Resources
- HSG258 – Controlling Airborne Contaminants at Work
- HSG201 – Controlling Exposure to Stonemasonry Dust
- INDG463 – Control of Exposure to Silica Dust
- RR926 – On-tool Controls to Reduce Exposure to Respirable Dusts in the Construction Industry
- HSE Guidance on Working with Engineered Stone
Recommended Learning
- M200 Basic Principles in Occupational Hygiene
- M501 Measurement of Hazardous Substances
- M505 Control of Hazardous Substances
- M507 Health Effects of Hazardous Substances
- P304 Fundamentals of CoSHH Risk Assessment & Control
- P603 CoSHH PPE
- P600 Methods for Testing Performance of LEV
- P601 LEV Thorough Examination & Testing
- P602 LEV Basic Design Principles
- P604 LEV Commissioning & Performance Evaluation
Thought Leadership
The ST Series is one of the clearest demonstrations of HSE’s practical approach to occupational hygiene. Rather than producing a single document covering every aspect of silica exposure, HSE has developed individual guidance sheets for specific stoneworking tasks. This reflects an important engineering principle: effective exposure control must be designed around the process, not simply the substance.
For LEV professionals, the series reinforces that successful silica control relies on matching the engineering control to the task. The extraction system that performs well for a bridge saw may be entirely unsuitable for hand-held grinding or slate dressing.
Understanding the process, selecting the appropriate control measures and maintaining them throughout their service life are fundamental to protecting workers from one of the industry’s most significant occupational health hazards.
