INDUSTRY UPDATE THE TILE ASSOCIATION COLUMN
Dr. Bernt Ketterer becomes Senior Vice President of Strategy, Innovation and Product Portfolio Management at Duravit
TTA Promotes Safe Installation Techniques for Engineered Stone
TA welcomes the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) decision in its latest guidance on working with engineered stone to focus on safe installation techniques rather than implementing an outright ban on engineered stone products, as Australia has since July 2024.
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TTA previously organised a series of pan-European meetings, chaired by TTA Technical Committee Chair Brian G Newell MBE, to monitor how to safely work with engineered stone. This likewise acknowledged the importance of wet cutting and proper site conditions. Silica is present in most construction materials, ranging from concrete to blocks, roof tiles to cement, and even porcelain tiles. All of these products when dry cut or drilled produce fine silica dust that can be breathed deep into the lungs. Unregulated exposure can cause silicosis, an irreversible ‘but entirely preventable’ lung disease, according to Mike Calcutt, Deputy Director at HSE.
Under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH), employers must assess and control workers’ exposure to RCS. The COSHH guidance for engineered stone sets out the latest advice for employers:
• Switch to low silica engineered stone
• Use on-tool water suppression and control mist – no dry cutting • Provide appropriate respiratory protective equipment (RPE) • Carry out regular health surveillance
Detailed guidance is available in the COSHH essentials for stoneworkers: Silica sheet ST3A (PDF).
Over the next 12 months, HSE inspectors will carry out over 1,000 visits to fabricators across Great Britain to assess working conditions and take enforcement action where legal requirements are not being met. TTA urges its contractor members to follow the guidance for wet cutting on site, rather than dry cutting, and be mindful of increased supervision. Unlimited technical advice is available to TTA members as part of their membership benefits – please email
technical@tile.org.uk or call 0300 365 8453 if you have any questions.
For further information from HSE, visit the engineered stone pages on the Work Right website.
www.tiles.org.uk 46 BKU JUNE 2026
ornberg, May 29, 2026 – As part of its strategic realignment, Duravit is strengthening its executive leadership team and has recruited Dr. Bernt Ketterer for a key leadership position. Effective June 1, 2026, he will assume the newly created role of Senior Vice President of Strategy, Innovation & Product Portfolio Management. Bernt Ketterer most recently served as Head of Corporate Strategy at the KOSTAL Group, where he played a key role in driving the strategic transformation of the global technology group. In this role, he was responsible, among other things, for the further development of the corporate strategy and the expansion of the portfolio in future-oriented growth areas.
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At Duravit, Bernt Ketterer will be responsible for group-wide strategy and transformation initiatives. These include cross-divisional and cross- regional programs aimed at further strengthening the Duravit Group’s growth, efficiency, and future viability, as well as the further development of strategy, organization, and key future topics such as digitalization and AI. At the same time, he is responsible for the strategic direction of product and innovation management, with the aim of aligning the organization even more closely with market and customer requirements. The goal is to further strengthen the company’s focus on complete bathroom solutions and premium products, and to sustainably increase its innovative capacity.
www.duravit.com
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