Safe in Stone Open Day at Stonegate House, October 2024
On Tuesday 15th October 2024, we opened the doors of Stonegate House to over 120 people as we hosted our second Open Day. Our Safe in Stone event was attended by fabricators, fitters, H&S managers, company directors, WFF coordinators and other suppliers to the stone industry.
The event was designed as an open, informal learning event on some of the key issues within the stone industry currently, but also gave attendees the opportunity to check out some of the newest trends in surface materials and see live demonstrations of some of the most innovative tooling in the world.
The main focus of the day was three presentations by expert speakers focusing on silicosis, musculoskeletal disorders and fabricating wet but the event also gave people a chance to network and knowledge share in a laidback informal environment.
Understanding the issues
We are aware that most people working within the UK and Irish stone industries are dedicated to making it a healthier, more sustainable sector. A key part of that is fully understanding the challenges facing us all, and how we might best overcome them.
Stephen Smith, from the Addex Group, delivered a talk covering the risks posed by Respirable Crystalline Silica (RCS) dust and the consequences of silicosis. While there is a lot of information circulating about silicosis currently, Stephen drilled down into the uncomfortable details of this deadly disease.
Nick Schofield, from Elite Force Safety, brought to light the seriousness of Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs). His presentation gave him a chance to explain how, without proper training and lifting and handling equipment, moving heavy slabs of stone around your workshop can do major damage, sometimes even having lifechanging effects.
In a follow on from the silicosis talk, Larry Clark from Stonegate, covered in detail the best practices for working wet. It can often be seen as an inhibitor to effective fabrication, but this doesn’t have to be the case if you have the right solutions in place. From polishing to grinding, setting up pneumatic tools correctly and how best to use water for dust suppression, plus more – the talk helped the audience to see how easily changes to working could be implemented.
The presentations were designed specifically to help fabricators understand the risks facing themselves and their teams, but also how to mitigate against any potential sanctions from HSE inspectors. There is so much information out there about health and safety practices in construction, it can often be confusing what is relevant and how to work fully compliant.
Solutions that can help identify potential problem areas, and then protect against the risk are also important. Which is why we had representatives from Trolex, dust monitoring systems, and Optrel, who provide HSE-compliant air fed respirators, on-hand to give more information to fabricators in attendance.
Leading the way on trends
Safer, healthier fabricators is one way of ensuring a bright future for the stone industry, another is staying abreast of trends and ensuring the end user is always getting the finished project they want. Instrumental in this, is the material used in kitchen or commercial projects.
We were delighted to welcome some of the most progressive materials suppliers in the country, who were able to showcase their latest and most popular slabs as part of the Open Day. Representatives from Caesarstone, Neolith, Laminam, Marazzi, iStone, Lamar Ceramics (distributed by Blackheath Products) and Atlas Plan joined us and were able to engage in animated discussions with customers about their materials.
Their presence also showed a desire on their part to strive for a safer stone industry and they were happy to deliver information on silica content, alternative material types and safe fabrication to those who asked.
Watch and learn…
The Innovation Hub is a fully operational test workshop at Stonegate House, which gives us the opportunity to show best practice on tooling and how to achieve consistently excellent results, regardless of the material. Our trained technicians ran demonstrations throughout the day and were available for discussions and questions as and when they arose.
On the saw, we showcased specialist blades for porcelain, ceramic and UCS materials. With the concerns over engineered stone, porcelain-like materials are becoming more and more popular, so it’s important to be able to fabricate them as easily as other stone. The Emperor and Rekord blades are just two of the options we have, which deliver a brilliant finish while helping you work quicker and more efficiently.
On the CNC we ran our revolutionary Infinity tools in ZS30, one of the many profile shapes in the range, as well as a variety of products from our BLU UCS specialist porcelain tooling range. Both of these sets of tools have been designed to work well on a range of materials and drive fabrication quality to the next level, while optimising output.
In addition to this, we ran the SupremEdge polishing pads on one of our Marmo Meccanica edge polishers. These refurbished machines, distributed by our sister company Stone Equipment International, delivered glass-like finished edges when paired with the SupremEdge pads.
Looking to the future…
We continually look to develop and progress the stone industry, whether it be with the most innovative tooling, the most efficient fabrication solutions or information on safe working practices. Which is why we will continue to host events such as these next year and beyond. If you have any key topics you would like us to cover, please get in touch!
The day wasn’t just about the scarier side of stone fabrication either… In true Stonegate style, a gourmet hog roast was served, with drinks and snacks provided throughout the day. Ensuring a relaxed environment for people to share knowledge and experience and work towards a brighter future. If you are interested in joining us for our next Open Day, please drop us a line on [email protected] and we will pre-register you for a ticket before they sell out.
Or if you would prefer to book in some bespoke training with our team in the Innovation Hub, there are a range of packages available. Contact us on [email protected] or +44(0) 1482 620400 or contact your rep and we’ll be happy to arrange!
