Silicosis
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the prevalence of silicosis among workers employed in the engineered stone and kitchen fabrication sector.
Answered by Sir Stephen Timms
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) monitors silicosis using multiple data sources, including voluntary reporting by chest physicians participating in the Surveillance of Work-related and Occupational Respiratory Disease (SWORD) scheme and cases assessed under the Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (IIDB), which together inform its annual statistics on silicosis.
HSE continues to work closely with medical experts and industry bodies such as the Worktop Fabricators Federation and the British Occupational Hygiene society, to understand the wider perspective.
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