Causes of Silicosis
Silicosis is a preventable but irreversible lung disease caused by inhaling respirable crystalline silica (RCS) dust. While the condition has been recognised for decades, it continues to affect workers across a wide range of industries where silica-containing materials are cut, drilled, crushed or processed.
The disease develops when fine silica particles are breathed deep into the lungs. Over time, these particles cause inflammation and scarring, reducing lung function and making it increasingly difficult to breathe. Once the damage has occurred, it cannot be reversed.
Although silicosis has traditionally been associated with mining and quarrying, recent concern has focused on newer industries and materials, particularly engineered stone used in kitchen worktops. Cases are increasingly being identified in younger workers, often after relatively short periods of high exposure.
Despite advances in workplace safety and increased awareness of the risks, silicosis continues to be diagnosed in workers every year following exposure to silica dust in industries where effective control measures should be in place. Growing concern has also emerged around cases involving engineered stone, where workers can be exposed to particularly high concentrations of respirable crystalline silica during cutting and fabrication processes.
Thompsons Solicitors is one of the UK’s most experienced firms in silicosis claims, trusted by thousands of clients nationwide. We provide full support beyond compensation alone, including rehabilitation, care coordination, benefits guidance and family support where appropriate.
Our national specialist teams act for clients across England and Wales, offering an accessible national service with local support from our network of regional offices.
Known as a go-to firm for silicosis claims, we are regularly featured in national and regional media and often secure significant compensation sums for claimants. We are recognised for our specialist experience, notable outcomes and work on cases that have helped shape claimant rights, acting for both private clients and trade union members. Clear advice on funding, including no win, no fee arrangements, is provided from the outset.
How to Get in Contact
To find out more about how we can help, you can speak with our Silicosis Lead, Dan Poet and his colleagues for further information. Call us on 0800 0224 224 or visit our contact page to request a call back.
Causes: How Silica Dust is Generated
Silica is one of the most common minerals found in the Earth's crust and is present in materials including stone, rock, sand, concrete, brick and mortar. When these materials are cut, drilled, ground, crushed or otherwise disturbed during work activities, fine silica dust particles can become airborne.
Common activities that generate respirable silica dust include:
- Cutting stone, brick or concrete
- Drilling and grinding construction materials
- Sandblasting operations
- Quarrying and mining
- Demolition work
- Manufacturing processes involving silica-containing products
- Fabrication and installation of engineered stone worktops
The risk comes not from the visible dust itself, but from the microscopic particles that can remain suspended in the air and be inhaled deep into the lungs.
In many workplaces, workers may not realise the extent of the risk because respirable crystalline silica particles are often too small to be seen with the naked eye. Dust levels can build up quickly during routine tasks, particularly in enclosed spaces or where dust suppression and extraction systems are not functioning effectively.
Industries Most Commonly Associated with Silicosis
Exposure to silica dust occurs across a broad range of sectors. Some of the industries most frequently linked to silicosis include:
- Construction
- Demolition
- Quarrying
- Mining
- Stone masonry
- Ceramics manufacturing
- Foundry work
- Glass manufacturing
- Engineered stone fabrication
While these industries have long been recognised as high risk, concerns have grown about exposure in smaller workplaces where dust control measures may be inconsistent or poorly maintained.
Recent attention has focused on engineered stone fabrication, with reports of workers developing accelerated silicosis after relatively short periods of exposure. This has prompted calls for stronger regulation and greater awareness of silica-related risks across a range of industries.
Why Silicosis Continues to Occur
The causes of silicosis are well understood and effective methods of controlling silica dust exposure have existed for many years.
In many cases, exposure occurs because dust control measures are inadequate, not properly maintained or not consistently used. Common issues include poor ventilation, ineffective dust extraction systems, dry cutting methods and a reliance on respiratory protective equipment without first implementing engineering controls. In some cases, workers may not receive adequate training on the risks associated with silica dust or how control measures should be used in practice.
Where silica dust is not effectively controlled at source, workers may be exposed to harmful levels for prolonged periods, significantly increasing the risk of developing respiratory disease.
The continued occurrence of silicosis demonstrates that awareness of the hazard alone is not enough. Effective control measures must be properly implemented, maintained and monitored over time. In some workplaces, production pressures, inadequate supervision or failures in safety management can lead to controls being bypassed or used inconsistently.
Recent industry and parliamentary discussions have highlighted concerns that some workers remain exposed to harmful levels of silica dust despite the availability of well-established control methods. As working practices, materials and technologies continue to evolve, employers must ensure that risk assessments and safety procedures keep pace with these changes.
Employer Responsibilities
Employers have a legal duty under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations to prevent exposure to hazardous substances where possible or adequately control it where prevention is not reasonably practicable. This requires a proactive approach to managing silica dust risks throughout the workplace. Simply providing respiratory protective equipment is unlikely to be sufficient where silica dust exposure can be reduced through engineering controls or other measures at source.
This may include:
- Carrying out suitable risk assessments
- Implementing dust suppression measures
- Providing effective local exhaust ventilation
- Supplying suitable respiratory protective equipment
- Monitoring exposure levels
- Providing training and health surveillance
Where employers fail to take reasonable steps to protect workers from silica dust exposure, they may be liable if an employee later develops silicosis or another occupational lung disease.
Silicosis Support
Silicosis is a serious occupational disease that can have a significant impact on a person's health, employment and quality of life. It can affect a person's ability to work, maintain their income and carry out everyday activities. Compensation can help provide financial support for lost earnings, medical treatment and the wider impact the condition has had on quality of life.
At Thompsons Solicitors, our specialist industrial disease lawyers have helped thousands of workers secure compensation and support following a diagnosis of work-related illness. We act for clients across England and Wales and can advise on funding options, including no win, no fee arrangements.
To find out more about how we can help, you can speak with our Silicosis Lead, Dan Poet and his colleagues for further information. Call us on 0800 0224 224 or visit our contact page to request a call back.