Silicosis: A Hidden Health Risk That Your Business Needs to Cover
As a trusted insurance broker, one of the most valuable things we do is keep your business ahead of the curve when it comes to risk. It’s not just about covering what’s already happened; it’s about anticipating what’s coming next.
Right now, there’s a serious health concern re-emerging in the UK’s trades and industrial sectors: silicosis.
We’ve seen a worrying uptick in claims and growing concern around this condition, and it’s something every business owner in relevant industries needs to be aware of and properly insured against.
What Exactly Is Silicosis?
Silicosis is a severe, potentially fatal lung disease caused by inhaling very fine silica dust. This dust is created when working with common materials like stone, concrete, brick, and sand.
Unfortunately, cases are on the rise in the UK. This is particularly true for smaller businesses, self-employed workers, or subcontractors who may not have robust employer safety support.
The sectors most at risk
Construction and Groundworks
Masonry and Stonemasonry
Quarrying
Ceramics
Sandblasting and Manufacturing
Crucially, even intense, short-term exposure can lead to lasting damage. This isn’t just about a lifetime of exposure – it can happen quicker than you think.
Why We Need to Pay Close Attention (and Cover the Risk)
From an insurance standpoint, silicosis is a growing exposure that impacts your Employers’ Liability (EL) and Public Liability (PL) cover.
Here are the key insurance concerns we need to discuss with you:
- Delayed Onset: Symptoms often don’t appear until years, sometimes decades, after exposure. This makes claim validation and liability complex.
- Subcontractor Liability: If you use labour-only subcontractors or rely on other firms’ safety standards, you may not fully appreciate where your own liability begins and ends.
- Cover Gaps: Without asking the right questions at renewal, the exposure can easily go unidentified until a claim lands on your desk. We work hard to make sure this doesn’t happen by getting the right details now.
How Sutcliffe Insurance Brokers Can Protect Your Business
Silicosis is a preventable disease, and our proactive guidance is the first line of defence. By asking the right questions, we help you manage your risk and ensure you have the right cover in place.
Here’s how we can work together to manage this risk:
- Review Dust Control Measures: We’ll ask about the systems you have in place when working with silica-based materials like concrete or stone. Are you using water suppression or effective ventilation?
- Check PPE Policies: Is high-grade respiratory protective equipment supplied, regularly maintained, and, most importantly, enforced on site?
- Encourage EL Reviews: For businesses with historic exposure or long-term staff, a review of your current and past EL cover is critical to understand potential liabilities.
- Stress Accurate Declarations: We need to ensure you are declaring all relevant activities and, particularly, your use of subcontractors and the environments they work in.
At Sutcliffe Insurance Brokers, we work closely with partners whose underwriting and claims teams understand the sensitivity and complexity of occupational disease claims. They’re there to support us in identifying and managing these risks.
We’re here to help you navigate these tricky waters. By raising awareness and ensuring proactive measures are in place, we can help protect your business and, more importantly, your people.
Do you have an exposure or specific case you’d like to talk through? Contact us today.
