The British designed and made Trolex Air XS Silica Monitor, which measures respirable crystalline silica (RCS) in the air in real time, has won two more awards, bringing this year's total to five.

Its latest honours come in the Most Innovative Instrument, Product or Digital Solution category of the Air Quality & Emissions Awards at the Air Quality & Emissions exhibition in Telford, Shropshire, and The Best Health & Safety Innovation Product in the Building Innovation Awards presented at The Point in Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester.

Silica is the biggest respiratory health risk construction workers face after asbestos, which is why the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) has extended its focus on inspections of companies where it is prevalent – which includes worktop fabricators (read more about the HSE campaign against RCS here).

It is estimated that 600,000 people are exposed to silica at work each year in the UK, most of them in the construction industry.

The Air XS Silica Monitor delivers real-time detection of potentially lethal respirable crystalline silica (RCS) particulates in airborne dust mixtures in factories and on-site. It can be moved easily to various locations where silica dust might be generated. It uses laser technology to differentiate the particular footprint of silica from other dust.

Requiring no complicated set-up and only five minutes of maintenance a month, the Air XS is easy-to-use and provides accurate readings with minimal training.

The units are not cheap at around £10,000, but they could save the NHS and wider economy billions in debilitated workers and the long-term care of silicosis sufferers, as well as helping to prevent the suffering of thousands of people. And many accept the principle that it should be the polluter who meets the cost of avoiding or clearing up the pollution.

The Air XS Silica Monitor displays the presence of RCS in the air by volume. It can be used to record the results and track changing concentrations over time, letting workers know if the amount of RCS in their workspace is increasing as they work and when it has risen to dangerous levels.

On winning the recent awards, Trolex Managing Director Steve Holland said: “2022 has been an important year for Trolex, bringing our ground-breaking Silica Monitor to market. A world first, in real-time respirable crystalline silica monitoring we are proud to have been recognised alongside our peers, including some of the most prestigious and well-respected companies within the health & safety industry across the UK.”

“Winning these awards is not just a win for our dedicated team at Trolex but for construction workers around the globe. It gives us a platform to raise awareness among employers about the extreme dangers of inhalation of silica dust particulates in airborne dust mixtures and the risk of silicosis while highlighting there is a cost-effective solution to increase worker safety.”

“Our objective is to save lives within hazardous working environments and the AIR XS Silica Monitor is doing just that – with the potential to save millions of lives, globally.”

Championing the Trolex Air XS Silica Monitor to the stone industry is Stone Industry Group (SiG). Anyone who would like to speak to Simon Bradbury at SiG about the Monitor can find his contact details on the SiG website at sig.ltd. There is also more about the Monitor on the Trolex website at trolex.com.