Did you know with a Digital subscription to Yorkshire Post, you can get access to all of our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Paul Gray and Stuart Johnson were diagnosed with silicosis, a long-term lung disease caused by inhaling large amounts of silica dust. Once inside the lungs, it causes swelling and leads to areas of hardened and scarred lung tissue, which eventually doesn't function properly.
Advertisement Advertisement The dust can be found in minerals including stone and the Health and Safety Executive say it's "the single biggest risk to construction workers after asbestos." Lawyers representing their widows have secured settlements for them after their deaths and have warned of an increase in reported cases of the disease. They have now launched a national register for stoneworkers to record incidents of contact with the dust.
Paul's widow Joanne, 57, said: "Silicosis is the most terrible disease. Nobody deserves to go through what Paul did as a result of their job. Hopefully by telling his story we can add our voice to those calling for greater awareness of this disease and safety at work.
Advertisement Advertisement "If the register makes just one employer think more about safety, Paul's death won't have been totally in vain." Paul, of Bradford , had worked as a stone dresser most of his adult life between 1997 to 2017. He worked on quarried stone to produce paving slabs and specialised in reclaimed stone, worki.