The Health and Safety Executive has banned dry cutting of kitchen worktops made from engineered stone, also known as quartz, and made water suppression tools a legal requirement. The change targets dust released during cutting, which the HSE described as something workers must now be protected from.
HSE will carry out 1,000 nationwide inspections over the next 12 months, with rogue factory bosses facing two years in prison under the crackdown. The rules were introduced after reporting on rising silicosis cases in young tradesmen.
HSE and quartz rules
The regulator said the prohibited method is “dry cutting,” while the new requirement is “water suppression tools to dampen lung-shredding dust are a legal requirement to protect workers.” Those rules apply to engineered stone, which the HSE also identified as quartz.
For workplaces using the material, the immediate change is practical: cutting without water suppression is no longer allowed under the new rules. The inspection programme gives the HSE a route to check workplaces across the UK, and the prison penalty raises the stakes for factory bosses who ignore the ban.
Rising silicosis cases
The crackdown follows reporting on rising silicosis cases in young tradesmen. Dr Rita Fontinha is named in the background material tied to the wider coverage, while the news organization that raised the alarm was The i Paper.
That sequence leaves the core issue in place for employers: the dust-control method now sits at the centre of enforcement, not workplace guidance. Firms handling engineered stone will need the legal requirement in place before inspectors arrive, because the HSE has tied compliance to nationwide checks over the next 12 months.
Dua Lipa lawsuit in California
Separate from the worktop rules, Dua Lipa filed a lawsuit in California against Samsung for at least $15m (£11m) after saying she became aware in June 2025 that the company was using her image. She described Samsung’s response as “dismissive and callous.”
The two stories do not overlap legally, but they sit side by side in the same report. One is about a UK workplace rule that changes how quartz is cut; the other is about a claim in California that could put Samsung under financial pressure if Lipa’s case advances.
