A father-of-three who was given weeks to live has died after inhaling ‘lethal’ dust from kitchen worktops in his job.
Marek Marzec, 48, originally from Poland, had been working as a stoneworker in the UK since 2012.
Having cut kitchen worktops in ‘appalling working conditions’ throughout his career, he eventually developed silicosis - a long-term lung disease caused by the inhalation of large amounts of crystalline silica dust.
The disease had reached such an advanced stage that he was given just weeks to live at the end of October.
When my parents needed their countertop cut to accommodate a new deeper range, the guy who came in to do it did not wear a mask and I thought it was nuts.
I tried to offer him an unused 3m vented n95 mask from the pack I keep in my garage shop but he declined to use it.
I swear, I have met so many stupid construction contractors like this. They just do not get it.
He works like a man, he dies like a man
If you are cutting or polishing stone, wear a mask. This is not a new idea.
It’s weird that so many would rather die than put on a mask.
A lot of trade work has dumb, macho work culture. Current safety standards and PPE requirements have also proven so effective in many cases, the current generation don’t know anyone who has suffered the horrible consequences of ignoring these regulations and assume it’s all overblown, nanny state nonsense as a result.
But wearing a mask is not manly!
Ok dad.
A lot of crappy jobs don’t provide them, and buying your own isn’t economically feasible when you have a crappy job.
Yeah, no, sorry. A decent respirator is like $25.
And $25 is like your discretionary income for half a week.
Muh freedumb
Perhaps we should choose different materials for kitchen worktops
Or stonecutters should wear a respirator.
Why is RPE the last resort or last line of protection?
RPE can only protect the wearer. Control measures at source (at the point where hazardous substances are released into workplace air), such as local exhaust ventilation or enclosures, protect all those working in the area.
So, only use or provide RPE as a last line of choice for respiratory protection. Consider other control measures before deciding upon RPE.
https://www.hse.gov.uk/respiratory-protective-equipment/faq.htm#before-providing-rpe-employees
man I wear a respirator just to go outside for a bike ride. maintaining smooth face for a proper seal is a pain in the ass but there are ways to die with less suffering.
