The Cut the Dust initiative is designed to improve awareness, change behaviours, and provide practical support to help eliminate harmful silica dust exposure from everyday roofing activities.
Respirable crystalline silica dust is generated during common tasks such as cutting tiles, slates and mortar. While the effects are not immediate, repeated exposure over time can cause irreversible and life-threatening illnesses including silicosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer and kidney disease. Because the dust particles are microscopic, workers may be exposed without realising the damage being caused.
Led by Gary Walpole NFRC’s Technical Safety, Health and Environment Officer, the campaign is focused on supporting everyone involved in the manufacture, distribution and installation of roofing materials to understand the risks, identify unsafe practices, and adopt safer methods of working.
Gary said: “The roofing industry has made great progress in preventing accidents and enforcing safer workplaces, but we must now collectively tackle this silent but critical threat that has been overlooked for too long.
“Cut the Dust is about making good practice the default by building better habits to control dust at source and taking responsibility to put it right where risks cannot be fully controlled.
“We must challenge the normalisation of poor practice such as ‘it’s only a quick cut’ or ‘we’ve always done it this way’. Compliance alone doesn’t change outcomes, behaviour does.”
The Cut the Dust Pledge calls on roofers, contractors, principal contractors and suppliers to commit to:
- Controlling every cut – no uncontrolled dry cutting
- Using water suppression or on-tool extraction
- Wearing suitable RPE (minimum FFP3 where required)
- Eliminating dry sweeping and blowing of dust
- Training teams and challenging unsafe practices
Anyone who pledges support through the NFRC website will receive a campaign pack containing educational resources, practical guidance materials, and a certificate demonstrating their commitment to safer working practices.
By launching Cut the Dust, NFRC is urging the roofing industry to recognise that silica exposure is preventable, and that meaningful change starts with everyday decisions on site. To find out more or make the pledge, visit the dedicated landing page.
