WE Solicitors LLP, a Manchester-based industrial disease law firm with over 24 years of experience, has reported a significant increase in silicosis-related enquiries from stone masons and construction workers across the North West. The firm, which operates exclusively on a no win, no fee basis, says it is now actively expanding its silicosis claims practice in response to what it describes as an emerging occupational health crisis in the UK.
The increase mirrors national trends reflected in Health and Safety Executive (HSE) data. According to the HSE’s 2024 statistics, 35 new cases of silicosis were assessed for Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (IIDB) in 2023, up from 30 in 2022 and 25 in 2021. However, the HSE itself acknowledges that both IIDB and THOR reporting schemes substantially underestimate the true incidence of silicosis, with estimated annual lung cancer deaths attributable to past silica exposure reaching nearly 800 per year.
The concern has intensified following the identification of the UK’s first cluster of silicosis cases linked to artificial (engineered) stone at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London in mid-2023. By 2025, a further 21 cases had been identified, according to the British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS). The HSE describes silica as the second biggest risk to construction workers after asbestos, and an estimated 600,000 workers in the UK are exposed to silica dust each year.
In one current case handled by the firm, a 40-year-old stone mason has been diagnosed with silicosis after years of occupational exposure. Liability has been admitted by the former employer, and the firm anticipates that damages may exceed a six-figure sum.
Quote from Steve Evans, Senior Partner, WE Solicitors LLP:
“We are seeing people in their thirties and forties coming to us with life-changing diagnoses. These are skilled tradespeople who were never properly warned about the dust they were breathing in every day. Silicosis is irreversible, progressive, and devastating for the families involved. Our job is to make sure they receive the compensation they are entitled to, and that employers are held accountable for the conditions that caused this damage.”
