Our Commitment to a Safer Workplace
Our Commitment to a Safer Workplace
Precious Marble is working toward a factory environment with zero crystalline silica exposure. Here is what that commitment means for our team and for the worktops we offer you.
Why We Made This Commitment
After our recent health, safety and environment meeting we made an important commitment. We are working toward a factory environment with zero crystalline silica exposure. It is a short statement but it reflects something we take very seriously. Our team spend their working days cutting and finishing stone for kitchens across Bedford and the surrounding area so their wellbeing sits at the centre of how we run our workshop.
Protecting our team matters to us. Fine silica dust can be created when stone is cut or ground or finished and breathing it can pose serious health risks. We are reviewing how we work and strengthening the steps we take to reduce dust exposure. Zero exposure is the goal we are working toward. We would rather say that plainly than overstate where we are today.
Why Crystalline Silica Dust Matters
Crystalline silica is a mineral found in many types of stone. The concern we are addressing arises during fabrication because cutting and grinding and finishing stone can create fine dust. Breathing that dust can cause silicosis and other serious lung diseases. That is why the people who work with stone every day are the focus of our commitment.
Fine dust is easy to underestimate because it can hang in the air without being obvious. Good intentions are not enough on their own so we look at dust reduction as a whole rather than relying on any single step. Each measure in the next section supports the others and together they form the basis of our approach.
What the Commitment Covers
Our commitment is practical rather than abstract. It brings together a set of everyday measures that work best when they are used together. Each one helps to reduce the amount of dust our team could breathe in. The table below sets out what each measure means in our workshop.
| Measure | What It Means in Practice |
|---|---|
| Water-fed tools | Used where appropriate so that water helps keep dust down while stone is cut or ground |
| Dust-extraction systems | Used where appropriate to draw dust away from the people doing the work |
| Equipment maintenance | Our equipment is kept in good order so the controls keep doing their job |
| Clean work areas | Work areas are kept clean so dust does not build up around the team |
| Team training | Our people are trained so they understand the risks and the steps that reduce them |
| Respiratory protection | Suitable respiratory protection is provided whenever it is needed |
Water and extraction do much of the work of keeping dust down while training and protective equipment make sure the team can use them well. If you would like more detail our pages on Water-Fed Tools and Dust Extraction and Training and Protective Equipment go into the practical steps.
See Our Low and Zero Silica Range
Visit our Elstow showroom to see the surfaces for yourself and ask about the materials we offer. You will get clear advice and a no obligation quote.
What This Means for Our Customers
A safer workplace is not only about the people in our workshop. It also shapes the choices we offer you. We want you to be able to choose a worktop with confidence and with a clear understanding of what it is made from.
We are committed to offering products identified as low or zero in crystalline silica content so you can make an informed choice.
We will share product information that helps explain the materials we offer and what sets them apart.
Safe fabrication practices remain important so we will continue to treat every material with care.
Being open about materials matters to us. Every worktop surface is made differently and the amount of crystalline silica it contains is one of the things that sets products apart. By offering products identified as low or zero in crystalline silica content and sharing product information alongside them we want you to understand what you are choosing before you commit. If you have a question about a particular surface our team will gladly talk it through and our Low and Zero Silica Worktops FAQs page covers the questions we hear most often.
If you are planning a new kitchen our Low and Zero Silica Worktops page shows the surfaces we offer and explains how to arrange samples and a quote. It is the best place to start once you have read about how we work.
Where HSE Guidance and Inspections Fit In
Our commitment comes at a time of closer attention to stone dust across the industry. In May 2026 the Health and Safety Executive published guidance on engineered stone and it is running an inspection programme across the sector. That is guidance and inspections. It is not a ban on quartz and nothing on this page should be read that way. Quartz has not been banned.
We welcome the focus because it points in the same direction as our own commitment. Both are about protecting the people who work with stone. For a plain explanation of what the guidance covers and what it could mean for homeowners our article on HSE Engineered Stone Guidance Explained is a good next read.
This is an ongoing commitment and we will keep looking for ways to make our workplace safer for our team and our customers.
How We Keep Improving
A commitment like this is never finished. It starts with a review of how work is done and carries on as a cycle of small improvements. We look at the way stone moves through the workshop and where dust could be created. We then strengthen the steps that reduce it and check that those steps are being followed.
Looking after equipment is part of that cycle. Water-fed tools and extraction only help when they are working properly so maintenance matters as much as buying the right kit. Keeping work areas clean matters too because settled dust can be disturbed again. Training ties it all together by making sure each member of the team understands why the steps exist and how to follow them. Where respiratory protection is needed it is provided and suitable for the task.
It also helps to remember that this is a shared effort. A commitment to a safer workplace only works when everyone in the team understands it and plays a part. That is why we pair the equipment we use with training and with clear expectations about how work is done. When something can be improved we want to hear about it and act on it.
Over time we expect each of these steps to be tested and improved. We will share what we can along the way. If you would like to see how the day to day work looks our guide to How We Cut Stone Safely describes the process from cutting through to finishing.
Low Silica Worktops Guide
This article is part of our complete guide to low and zero silica worktops, covering the materials, the safety questions and how we work.
Explore the Full GuideFor the full picture of low and zero silica surfaces our Low Silica Worktops Guide brings the whole series together in one place. It covers what these worktops are and how they compare with quartz as well as how we look after our team.
Where to Go Next
If you have questions about the materials themselves our Low and Zero Silica Worktops FAQs page answers the most common ones in plain language. To see how the safety side works in the workshop read about Water-Fed Tools and Dust Extraction and Training and Protective Equipment.
Speak to the Precious Marble Team
If you would like to know more about how we work or the worktops we offer we are happy to help. Visit our Elstow showroom to see the surfaces and ask our team about our approach to working safely.
To ask a question or arrange a quote, call our team on 01234 348 590 or request a quote online. We will talk you through the options and answer anything you would like to know before you decide.
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