By the end of May or early June, SiG (Stone Industry Group) should have a device for sale that measures levels of respirable crystalline silica in the air accurately in real time. 

The device is called Trolex Air XS, and is said to be more than twice as accurate as the X-Ray defraction units that are currently used to measure RCS levels as well as providing instant readings.

The unit was introduced to members of the Worktop Fabricators Federation at their meeting at machinery company Intermac’s premises in Northamptonshire last year, when volunteers were asked to carry out field trials.

The development of the unit by British company Trolex is now almost complete. It will be sold in the stone industry by SiG, in the UK and also in America and Europe.

It was introduced to the Americans this month (February) at StonExpo/Marmomac, part of the International Surfaces Event held in Las Vegas. It won the ‘Best of Technology 2022’ award at the exhibition.

Among those manning the exhibition stand in Las Vegas was Ash Butler, who has now joined SiG and will be selling the Trolex Air XS in the UK.

In America, concerns about silicosis and lung cancer resulting from exposure to RCS are even greater than they are in the UK, due in part to the level of claims that can be made by employees who end up with a disease.

In the USA the permitted workplace exposure level to RCS is half the current level in the UK, although the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Respiratory Health (APPG) said in its 2020 report Silica – the next asbestos? that the UK level should be reduced to the American level. The Group is currently reviewing that recommendation (read more about that here).

Cutting sandstone masonry in a British factory.

In the British sandstone industry the risk from RCS is taken seriously and people are routinely protected by substantial PPE, including positive pressure helmets. SiG is planning to introduce a positive pressure helmet to its range, having discovered one developed during the coronavirus pandemic to protect key workers from the Covid virus. It is particularly effective but lightweight for comfortable use over sustained periods.

At worktop fabricators in the UK, protection often involves no more than a mask over the mouth and nose that might or might not fit properly and be worn regularly by the operator, even though granite and engineered quartz typically produce high levels of RCS when worked. Even when worked wet, RCS will float in air-born water droplets that can be inhaled.

The sunlight exposes the level of water-born dust in this worktop fabricator's workshop in the USA.

HSE tests have shown air-born levels of RCS can exceed legal exposure limits outside as well as inside CNC machine enclosures. Using angle grinders, wet as well as dry, also produces RCS levels in the air well above legal limits.

“In the USA fabricators are putting warning stickers on slabs saying there’s an inherent risk of silicosis from handling and cutting this material,” says SiG Director Simon Bradbury.

He says in the UK the Health & Safety Executive is getting ever more vigilent about dust in general and RCS in particular because RCS is the biggest dust danger to construction workers after asbestos.

The Trolex Air XS is mobile, so can be used to test the RCS levels in different areas of a factory.

It has a price tag of just under £10,000, but Ash Butler says if companies look on it as an investment to protect themselves from injury claims by employees, as well as helping to protect employees from exposure to potentially lethal dust, it does not seem too high a price to pay.

SiG Director Simon Bradbury, SiG Inc President Jerry Van Der Bass and Ash Butler, who has recently joined SiG and will be selling the Trolex Air XS in the UK, receiving the 'Best of Technology Award' at the International Surfaces Event in Las Vegas earlier this month. Ash said the Air XS received the award because the judges could see where the industry is going in terms of the need for proactive dust monitoring. He says the UK is only a few years behind the US.

David Coster, Director of Advanced Stone & Masonry Supplies, which sells Stain Proof and Tenax products, talks to Max Cunningham, Production Manager at Rock Revelations in Northamptonshire.

David: Natural stone, sintered/porcelain or quartz?

Max: I would personally go for sintered material just because of its properties and because I have worked with it for so long. Customers also want to go for sintered materials. Its best property is coping with heat. Customers are used to old black granite and being able to shove a hot pan on it. It puts them off quartz so they go for ceramic. It’s the future of stone. I think people know if they are going to bring a ceramic job to us that we can complete it and they’re not going to have a problem with it. There are always some issues in fabrication, but nine times out of 10 I can get the job into the kitchen without a problem.

David: Straight off the CNC or hand finished?

Max: It’s a combination. I have just invested in the tools for the CNC so all the sink cut outs, pencil or bevel, are coming straight off the saw finished. It’s just the final edges that need to be done by hand.

Templating: Digital or physical?

We are completely digital now having got rid of Corex about three years ago. It’s better for the environment but also with a laser I can have someone on-site, laser it, and if there’s a problem I can get straight on to the AutoCad and on to the machine and straight away it’s being cut. It increases our geographical spread. I have sub-contractor templaters around the UK. They can be at someone’s house straight away. They might be on the South Coast, in Canterbury, and then yesterday I had two jobs in Scotland.

Customers. Love them or hate them?

It’s a love/hate relationship. You never get anything from them apart from their money. They are high end and demanding. They want this, then they want that. You have to try to lay it on the table so they know it’s not always going to be like that and they have to wait.

What will be your next investment?

We have just got planning permission to extend the factory, mainly so we can get a five-axes waterjet, because we do so much ceramic work now with so many cut outs so close together. You can’t do it on a CNC.

With the government saying the UK has to reach Net Zero carbon emissions by 2050, what plans do you have?

We don’t have a plan yet. It’s a way off. But we will have to work something out.

And ethical sourcing?

We use the main brands. I hope they are dealing with it.

Have you noticed any problems as a result of Brexit/Covid?

Loads. The cost of containers and trying to get goods into the country. Even from Cosentino I don’t get slabs on time. I don’t know if that’s because drivers are stuck at the docks or they just can’t get the materials any more.

The future: worse, better, the same?

I would like to say it would be better – there are different materials; we are looking to expand; more machinery. I think during Covid some customers have understood things can be difficult and are more open to the idea that they might have to wait. Perhaps customers will be more understanding in future... But perhaps not.

I just want to ensure what comes out of the factory is as good as it always has been, if not better. I don’t want to start getting more workload, I want to concentrate on the quality; getting the people in the factory more fully trained to make it better.

Trends. What are customers looking for now and what do you anticipate is coming?

I don’t think white marble effect quartz will ever go, but the thing we are selling most of now is Dekton Kelya, which is dark with a light vein. That’s coming through all the time. We have at least three or four jobs in that a week.

But granite’s coming back. I don’t know if it’s fashion or trend, but I think it might be because everyone has white quartz and it’s something different.

I have a mixture of white and dark materials – I always do. People who have had white will then go to dark. There’s way more darker Dekton with busier veins coming on. I think that will work for ceramics, but when people go for quartz there are so many whites out there now.

For next year, the rumour is it’s green. I can see pink and green coming in again. At the moment it’s all grey, white or dark. There’s no actual colours. That can change.

Can construction in concrete benefit from copying the way stonemasons have worked for millennia? Dr Paul Shepherd at the University of Bath thinks so. 

He says swapping solid slab concrete floors for a ‘thin shell’ vaulted alternative could help the construction industry towards its net-zero targets by cutting concrete use by 75%.

Of course, if stone were used rather than concrete the carbon content could be reduced to practically zero.

Dr Shepherd’s new vaulted style of floor was developed by an interdisciplinary team of structural engineers, mathematicians and manufacturing experts from the Universities of Bath, Cambridge and Dundee.

They have now unveiled a full-scale demonstration of a thin-shell floor, which cuts the carbon footprint by 60% compared with an equivalent flat slab floor that could carry the same load.

The curved vault-shaped structure is covered by standard raised floor panels to create a level surface.

Created by the UK Research & Innovation*-funded ACORN (Automating Concrete Construction) research project, the vault-shaped floor design takes advantage of concrete’s strength under compression, just as vaulted stone (or brick, come to that) ceilings do.

Dr Shepherd, a Reader in Bath’s Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering and the Principal Investigator for ACORN, says: “Achieving the net-zero targets recently ratified at the COP26 conference will require significant change by the construction industry, which is responsible for about half of the UK’s total emissions.

“Since concrete is the world’s most widely consumed material after water, and its production contributes more than 7% of global CO₂ emissions, the easiest way for construction to begin its journey to net-zero is to use less concrete.

“That has been the driving force behind this project, which we hope could make a major difference to the impact of construction.”

Innovations in robotics, automated design and off-site fabrication are key. Currently most building floors use thick flat slabs of solid concrete, which rely on the bending strength of concrete to support loads. But concrete is not good at resisting the tension induced by bending, so these floors also need a lot of steel reinforcement.

The solution, as stonemasons have known for thousands of years, is to replace the tension with compression by vaulting.

The shape might prove impractical to make on modern, fast-track construction sites using traditional temporary formwork, so the ACORN team has also developed an automated adaptable mould and a robotic concrete spraying system that can be used off-site in a factory using purpose-written software to optimise the floor design for any given building.

Since the floor is made off-site, it needs to be transported to site and then assembled. This means splitting a large floor into transportable pieces. That required a system to connect them on site, which the team has also developed, bringing further advantages in reducing the time needed on-site for assembling the sections.

The ACORN team has learnt another trick from stone – re-using material at the end of a building’s life. The joints have been designed so that the floor can be dismantled and re-used elsewhere, helping towards a circular economy for the construction industry.

The practicality of this integrated system has just been demonstrated to ACORN’s industry partners in a full-scale 4.5m x 4.5m thin-shell structure in the NRFIS Laboratory of Cambridge University’s Civil Engineering Department.

Despite being the first of its kind, each piece of the floor erected at Cambridge took only half an hour to make, and the whole floor took just a week to assemble. Future commercial versions could be manufactured in dedicated industrial facilities even more quickly and site erection times could be reduced as familiarity with the system grew.

Dr Shepherd says: “After three years of research it’s amazing to see the fruits of all our hard work dominating the laboratory and drawing interested looks from all who pass by. It’s not every day you can jump on top of your research! I just hope that one day soon this type of low-carbon, automatically manufactured building becomes so widespread that people walk by without noticing.”

Adam Locke, Programme Leader of Europe Hub Technology & Innovation at Laing O'Rourke, one of the ACORN partners, adds: “The ACORN Demonstrator is a very useful stepping-stone in the progressive pathway to decarbonizing our solutions, and complements very well our own work in this area.”

*ACORN received funding from UK Research and Innovation under the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund Transforming Construction programme.

A video posted on Twitter records Storm Eunice on 18 February blowing the top off the stone spire of St Thomas' Church in Wells, Somerset. 

The picture here shows where it landed, next to a path going through the churchyard.

The video and picture were sent to BBC Bristol and posted on Twitter by Ian Fergusson (@fergieweather).

The video was credited to Matthew Hodson and the photo to Janet Hodson.

Sky News also showed the video and quoted the vicar of the church, the Reverend Claire Towns, as saying: "We were all terribly shocked. The building has been up since the late 1800s and the spire here can be seen from quite a long way away. It's quite a symbol around our community, so we're just really shocked that this happened. But equally we're feeling very thankful that nobody was hurt or even worse killed."

You can watch the video at:

Two test centre administrators who admitted falsifying CITB health, safety & environment tests, required to obtain CSCS cards and work on construction sites, were each sent to prison for 28 months when they appeared before Chester Crown Court on Friday (18 February).

The two men, one from Manchester and one from Macclesfield, were test centre administrators at the accredited DWM Plant Ltd in Knutsford, Cheshire.

During an investigation into fraud, CITB uncovered a large-scale criminal operation involving mostly foreign nationals being assisted on their CITB HS&E test.

Some candidates were travelling long distances and completing their tests in just four or five minutes by means of a remote mouse.

The case was reported to Cheshire police, who carried out a criminal investigation into the conduct of two men, Callum Ingram and Stephen McWhirk.

Ingram, aged 28 and from Manchester, and McWhirk, aged 62 and living in Macclesfield, were charged with offences that took place between May and September 2019.

The trial was originally scheduled for June this year. However, the pair pleaded guilty in December last year and the case was moved forward to last week.

Sentencing the two men, Recorder Taylor said the fraud had exposed potentially large numbers of people in the industry and members of the public to the risk of serious harm by providing a means for unqualified people to work on building sites when they had no idea of health & safety requirements.

Some of those people who fraudulently passed the test were found to be unable even to understand instructions in English.

The court heard the pair had profited by somewhere in the region of £37,700.

DC Sarah Newton, from Cheshire Police, says: “Throughout the investigation we liaised with CITB, allowing a joint investigation due to the unique and specific nature of the fraud.

“Fraudulently obtained CSCS cards mean that the holder has not demonstrated the professional competence and awareness of health & safety legislation that is required for them to work safely in the construction industry. This creates obvious risks, not only to themselves but also to other workers and members of the public, while also undermining confidence. We will continue to work with partners wherever criminality puts people at risk.”

CITB’s Fraud Manager, Ian Sidney, led the initial investigation. He said after sentence had been passed: “We welcome the result today. It sends out a message that we will not tolerate individuals compromising construction site safety by facilitating some people cutting corners to obtain their site cards without the required knowledge, skills or experience to pass the tests.

“CITB also acknowledges and is grateful for the support provided by Cheshire Police in securing the arrest and subsequent conviction of the two defendants.”

The DWM Plant test centre was closed and 1,305 tests revoked in Jan 2020. Those whose tests were revoked were offered a voucher to retest for free and allowed three-months in which to retake the test.

Partner card schemes were informed of the revocations and, where appropriate, competence cards have also been retracted.

Anyone that has any information regarding fraudulent testing activity can report it confidentially to CITB at report.it@citb.co.uk.

Weather-proof, UV resistant and with plenty of kerb appeal, Ceralsio Nero is making a striking impression on a 1940s detached house in Hove, West Sussex. 

The owners wanted to update the frontage while ensuring the finished look remained in keeping with the original Georgian features so the building would continue to blend in with the street overall.

To do this, the wood slat front, common with this type of property in Sussex, was replaced with Ceralsio Nero in a similar slat format, giving the house a new look with a modern twist that nevertheless harmonises with the neighbouring properties.

This was the first time installers Stone Specialist had used Ceralsio, CRL Stone's ceramic range, but with several neighbours having made enquiries about it as a result of this project, the company is confident it won’t be the last.

“The stone-effect Ceralsio panelling has modernised the building, giving it a facelift,” said Stone Specialist’s Chris Savage. “It looks completely new and contemporary now and the client is very happy with the overall finish.”

Straightforward to fit, Ceralsio ceramic is a highly durable material that is made to last, coping with the changing weather conditions of the seasons.

In a natural finish, Ceralsio Nero is a dark surface for modern designs, working in harmony with natural materials such as wood and the raw finish of brickwork.

The material’s water absorption rate of less than 0.2% makes it ideal for outdoor environments because it will not be damaged by frost and ice, while its UV resistance means it will not fade over time, even when exposed to direct sunlight.

Stone Digital - Shaping a sustainable future is a new, high-level online conference on the stone industry in a net zero carbon, digitally connected world. Supported by Stone Federation Great Britain, it takes place online, anchored by professional broadcaster and sustainability commentator Susannah Streeter.

It is free, but you have to register at bit.ly/StoneDigital.

Frances Gannon of Make Architects, Simon Sturgis from Targeting Zero and Flavie Lowres of Green Thinking open the Stone Digital conference, setting the scene for two days of exploring how stone, as an essentially low carbon building material, can and is contributing to a move towards Net Zero. And how the digital revolution is helping.

During the two days 30 speakers will explain how they are using stone, computers and information technology to cut carbon, reduce waste, improve efficiency and increase productivity.

The programme below will help you organise your partcipation in the conference. You can also view the programme online at stonedigital.co.uk/conference.

Tuesday 22 February

Building a sustainable future with stone – the big picture
09:00 – 10:30
Exploring the benefits of a collaborative approach to whole-life sustainable construction, from concept and design to build and use. By involving material producers, processors, and specialist contractors at an early stage more sustainable solutions involving less waste, less energy, longer life and a lower cost can be achieved.

09.00 – 9.05
Introduction by Susannah Streeter

09:05 – 9:30
Climate crisis – why a low carbon future matters
Simon Sturgis, Founder – Targeting Zero

09:30 – 9:50
Assessing natural stone’s sustainability performance within the built environment lifecycle
Dr Flavie Lowres, Director – Green Thinking

09:50 – 10:15
Embodied carbon and circular economy opportunities for stone
Frances Gannon, Partner, Make Architects; Darren Anderson, Director & Stone Consultant, and Lefteris Siamopoulos, Senior Facade Consultant – FMDC

10:15 – 10:30
Panel discussion

Sustainability in planning – the beauty of better buildings
11:00 – 12:20
The government’s stated aim is to Build Better, Build Beautiful. The Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and National Model Design Code (NMDC) could help achieve that. Value engineering at the design stage in consultation with material providers can also make a project more sustainable as well as more affordable. And the revisions to BS 8298 for stone cladding can also contribute positively.

11.00 – 11.05
Introduction by Susannah Streeter

11:05 – 11:25
The mandatory design codes – what does this mean for natural stone?
Sam Thistlethwaite, Director – IC Planning

11:25 – 11:45
BS 8298 – changes bring advantages for sustainable stone cladding
Nic Shannon, Managing Director – Domus Facades

11:45 – 12:05
A Stone Contractor’s perspective on sustainability
Nick Wilson, Business Development Director – Stonewest

12:05 – 12.20
Panel discussion

Sustainable solutions for our built heritage
13:00 – 14:20
Representatives of Historic England and the British Geological Survey, together with heritage consultants, explore the key role natural stone and digital technology play in delivering sustainable solutions for the built heritage. Subjects covered include an update on ‘The Building Stone Database for England’, the challenges of sourcing suitable stone for conservation, and the benefits of digital tools and communication technologies.

13.00 – 13.05
Introduction by Susannah Streeter

13:05 – 13:20
Safeguarding a sustainable strategic asset – The Building Stone Database for England
Clara Willett, Senior Building Conservation Adviser – Historic England

13:20 – 13:40
Selecting the right replacement stone
Dr Stephen Parry, Petrologist – British Geological Survey

13:40 – 14:05
Digital transformation of the historic building repair & maintenance sector – balancing Superhero Technology with Tradition
Dr Mohamed Abdel Wahab, Senior Lecturer in Construction Engineering Management - University of the West of Scotland and Dr. Scott McGibbon, Director – Pivotal Consultancy

14:05 – 14:20
Panel discussion

Responsible sourcing - tackling modern slavery and supply chain management
15:00 - 16:20
The implications of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 for the UK stone industry. How the stone industry can contribute pistively to their larger clients' modern slavery statements in their annual reports and ensure stone used in the UK is not sontributing to child labour, bonded labour, or other forms of modern slavery.

15.00 – 15.05
Introduction by Susannah Streeter

15:05 – 15:30
An introduction to the Ethical Stone Register
David Richardson, Director – Diagenesis Consulting

15:30 – 15:45
Szerelmey’s pathway to becoming the first ethical stone register ‘verification’ level contractor
Tamsin Pickeral, Operations Director – Szerelmey

15:45 – 16:00
No Child Left Behind
Steve Walley, Managing Director – London Stone

16:00 – 16:20
Panel discussion

Wednesday 23 February

Net Zero – written in stone
9:00 – 10:20
The UK government became the first major economy to enshrine in law a 2050 Net Zero target for greenhouse gas emissions. The target cannot be reached without a significant contribution from industry. This session looks at how progressive companies in the stone industry are working towards it.

9.00 – 9.05
Introduction by Susannah Streeter

9:05 – 9:25
The case for British stone – shaping a low carbon future with Portland stone
Michael Poultney, Managing Director – Albion Stone

9:25 – 9:45
Embracing sustainability – Polycor’s race to be carbon neutral by 2025
Bryan Thorburn, Director of Business Development Europe & The Middle East – Polycor

9:45 – 10:05
A Contractor’s journey to net zero – the value of repurposing materials
Robert Greer, Technical Director – PAYE Stonework & Restoration

10:05 – 10:20
Panel discussion

Innovation for sustainable design – back to basics, post-tensioned stone and lightweight facades
11:00 – 12:25
Using structural stone to build with can make good sense, both environmentally and economically. Post- and pre-tensioned stone has enabled designers to achieve elegant solutions and provide a low carbon alternative to concrete. And innovative designs of lightweight frames supporting thin stone cladding mean the main frame of a building can be lighter, saving materials and cutting costs throughout the build.

11:00 – 11:05
Introduction by Susannah Streeter

11:05 – 11:30
Climate change and a new stone age
James Simpson, OBE, Consultant – Simpson & Brown Architects and Chairman of the Building Limes Forum

11:30 – 11:50
Low tech material with high tech engineering
Pierre Bidaud, Creative Director – The Stonemasonry Company

11:50 – 12:10
Natural and engineered stone facades – sustainability, buildability and aesthetics
David Wilson, Architectural Consultant – Shackerley

12:10 – 12:25
Panel discussion

The natural solution for sustainable hard landscaping
13:00 – 14:20
The completion of BS 7533 Part 101 2021 on the design of pavements is a significant development in hard landscaping and a major achievement for the use of stone. What could be more natural and sustainable than using stone from the land in landscaping? It can aid drainage and biodiversity by improving habitats for wildlife, and create pleasant amenities for people to spend their time in.

13:00 – 13:05
Introduction by Susannah Streeter

13:05 – 13:25
Setting the new paving standard with BS7533- 101 and understanding its environmental considerations
Steve Burton (GMICE), Technical Director and Phil Crichton (DipLA, CMLI), Specification & Technical Consultant – Steintec

13:25 – 13:45
Inspiring creative urban spaces through innovative, ethical and sustainable hard landscaping
Anthony Collins, Sales Director – Hardscape

13:45 – 14:05
The green road – sustainable solutions to keep hard landscapes looking their best
Filippo Rampado, UK & Ireland Manager – Fila Surface Care Solutions

14:05 – 14:20
Panel discussion

Digitalization of stone
15:00 – 16:40
Digitalization is playing its part in sustainability by reducing waste – of product, of machinery down time, of unexpected delays, of communication errors. But when it comes to computers don’t blink or you’ll miss the next breakthrough.

15:00 – 15:05
Introduction by Susannah Streeter

15:05 – 15:25
On-line, on-site, on-target – the connected contractor
Mark Dellar, Business Unit Leader – Vetter UK

15:25 – 15:45
The digital route to sustainable construction
Robert Merry, Director & Principal Consultant – Stone Consultants

15:45 – 16:05
Lasers, point clouds and 3D views – the quick and accurate way to record buildings
Graham Sykes, Technical Director – Architectural & Heritage Scanning

16:05 – 16:25
Digitally connected fabrication – templates>designs>robots>customer communications
James Weston, Lean Manager, and David Roy, Director – Natural Stone Surfaces

16:25 – 16:40
Panel discussion

Stone and conservation specialist DBR Ltd has won a place on the Houses of Parliament Restoration & Renewal Delivery Authority’s £80million Intrusive Survey Commercial Framework.

Appointment to this Framework follows a competitive bid process, which saw some of the most highly regarded specialist contractors in heritage conservation vying for the work.

The skill and precision of DBR’s team of master craftspeople was recently demonstrated on the Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben) conservation project (read about that here) and the decade-long restoration of the Palace of Westminster’s Encaustic Tiles, both of which no doubt featured in DBR’s successful bid for the survey work.

The selected investigating specialists will carry out dozens of detailed building surveys, looking at historic stonework, digging bore holes to carry out underground examinations, carrying out archaeological digs, and mapping out asbestos in more detail.

This next phase will represent the largest and most in-depth survey undertaken on the Houses of Parliament since its rebuilding after a devastating fire in 1834. It will provide a true understanding of the condition of the building and the extent of restoration work required. The project is also expected to unearth some of the building’s historic secrets.

Commenting on the successful bid, DBR’s Executive Director, Adrian Attwood, says: “DBR is privileged to be awarded a place on Parliament’s R&R Framework as Conservation Contractor.

“Over the next few years, DBR’s skilled craftspeople will be carrying out careful and intrusive investigation work to inform the condition of the Parliamentary Estate’s Grade 1 listed buildings, playing a crucial role in this massive, but essential, discovery project.”

“Not only will working on this unique UNESCO world heritage site be a great opportunity to showcase our team’s extensive conservation knowledge and expertise, it will also serve as the perfect platform on which to champion heritage skills.

“Through campaigns such as our own ’Year of the Master Craftsperson’, to introduce more craft apprentices to the conservation of our built heritage, we hope this project will make a compelling case for encouraging more young people to consider a heritage skills-based career.”

David Goldstone, CEO of the Houses of Parliament Restoration & Renewal Delivery Authority, says: “We are carrying out dozens of in-depth surveys to build the most detailed record of the Palace of Westminster ever created, to inform restoration work to protect the building. The hard work of specialists from across the UK will be invaluable as we continue to focus on the vital work needed to secure the future Parliament.”

Work on the Intrusive Survey phase will begin in the spring and is expected to take five years to complete.