Families of kitchen revamp workers who have died from the deadly lung disease silicosis will receive higher compensation, with new legislation due to be debated in Parliament on Monday.
Until now, bereaved families of workers who died after inhaling toxic silica dust have received only £10,700 on average, whereas sick workers themselves were awarded an average £17,700.
As a result of The i Paper’s Killer Kitchens campaign, and work by Senior Reporter Joe Duggan exposing the deadly disease in the UK, ministers have sought to provide increased compensation for these wronged families.
MPs will debate the new draft regulations – officially titled the Pneumoconiosis etc. (Workers’ Compensation) (Payment of Claims) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2026 – in the Commons after they were introduced last month.
The i Paper has spent more than two years investigating silicosis among stonemasons cutting engineered stone, or quartz, kitchen countertops – reporting that has been shortlisted for a British Journalism Award and The Paul Foot Award – which has forced the introduction of the changes.
The campaign was recently nominated for the News Media Association’s (NMA) “Making a Difference” award, which celebrates local and national media campaigns that have made a real impact. It is chosen by the public and can be voted for here.
‘Unfair system’ for bereaved families
The regulations apply to lung diseases such as mesothelioma, a cancer caused almost exclusively by exposure to asbestos, and pneumoconiosis, which refers to lung scarring brought about by inhaling dust over time, such as coal dust or silica dust.
Silicosis is a form of pneumoconiosis caused by inhaling respirable crystalline silica – a dust released when engineered stone is cut, ground or polished.
Eengineered stone worktops can contain up to 95 per cent silica, far higher than natural stone such as granite or marble.
Almost 60 workers have been diagnosed so far, although doctors believe the true number is much higher, with many falling ill or dying in their 20s, 30s and 40s after cutting quartz – which has become the UK’s most popular stone for homeowners having kitchen makeovers.
Families of kitchen worktop workers who died from silicosis would likely be entitled to far higher payouts than the £17,700 average, given their younger age.
A worker diagnosed at 43 – the average age of UK cases – would be entitled to between £40,034 and £107,691 depending on their level of disablement.
Disability minister Sir Stephen Timms said the compensation change would mean families were “no longer penalised twice, first by their loss, then by an unfair system”.
He added: “Families who have lost a loved one to a disease caused by their work deserve our support, not a system that treats them as an afterthought. That’s exactly what’s been happening, and campaigners have been telling us for over a decade that it’s wrong.”
The long fight for just compensation
Families of silicosis victims have long campaigned for equal compensation for living workers and the relatives of those killed by the disease.
The compensation scheme provides lump-sum payments to people who develop industrial lung diseases through their work, in cases where they cannot claim damages from an employer – often because the firm responsible has gone out of business.
But the amount paid varies significantly depending on a claimant’s age and level of disablement, with younger, more severely affected claimants receiving substantially more than the average.
If approved by Parliament, the changes will come into force on 31 October. The devolved scheme in Northern Ireland is expected to introduce corresponding legislation.
In an article for The i Paper, Timms credited the newspaper’s reporting with sharpening the case for reform.
“As awareness grows of occupational diseases such as silicosis, highlighted by campaigns such as The i Paper‘s Killer Kitchens campaign, it is more important than ever that families affected by industrial disease can access fair compensation,” he wrote.
What could happen next?
The fight for justice does not end there – more than half of Britain’s quartz worktop fabricators are failing to adhere to health and safety laws, The i Paper revealed last week.
Since the campaign was launched, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has issued its first regulatory guidance that bans dry cutting of engineered stone without water suppression tools.
Of the 434 businesses inspected by the HSE, 166 (38 per cent) were issued with legally-binding enforcement notices, as inspectors raised significant concerns following the discovery of dangerous or unsafe practices.
In one “shocking” case, inspectors arrived at a premises in the Midlands to find lethal engineered stone dust “billowing” out the front door as staff equipped with inadequate face masks shaped worktops.
An outright ban on quartz, of the kind introduced in Australia in 2024, has not been ruled out.
Health officials are also weighing a national screening programme for stonemasons, another of the campaign’s central demands.