Manufacturing non-metallic mineral products covers a wide range of businesses — glass and glassware, ceramics, bricks and tiles, cement, lime and plaster, ready-mixed concrete and concrete products, cut and dressed stone, and abrasives. They share two starting points: processing minerals is machinery-intensive and generates respirable crystalline silica dust, so the workplace health and safety duties under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 apply to all of you, with silica control under COSHH a defining hazard. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) regulates in Great Britain and HSENI in Northern Ireland.
Beyond that shared foundation, the rules diverge — by whether you place construction or consumer products on the market, and by how energy-intensive your process is. Cement, lime and glass kilns and furnaces bring an environmental permit and the UK Emissions Trading Scheme into play. Use the routes below to find the guides written for your kind of business.
Find your route
Identify the descriptions that fit your business. If more than one applies — for example you run a cement kiln and also place concrete products on the market — follow every route that fits.
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1
Run a safe mineral products factory
Whatever you make, start with the universal spine. Follow "Set up and run a safe mineral products factory" for your health and safety, respirable-silica COSHH controls, work equipment, manual handling, fire safety, insurance, equality and data protection duties.
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2
You place products on the market
Cement, aggregates, concrete products, glass and ceramic building products are construction products; other goods must meet general product safety. These need the right product-safety regime and, where one applies, conformity marking (UKCA, or CE which is still accepted on the GB market) before sale. Follow "Place non-metallic mineral products on the market".
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3
You run an energy-intensive installation
If you operate a cement, lime, glass or ceramics kiln or furnace, you need an environmental permit and — for cement, lime and glass production — you fall within the UK Emissions Trading Scheme. Follow "Meet your environmental permit and emissions trading duties".
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4
Confirm you have covered everything
Finish with the non-metallic mineral products manufacturer compliance checklist to confirm your obligations are met before a production run.
Open the guide you need
- Set up and run a safe mineral products factory — the universal spine for every manufacturer.
- Place non-metallic mineral products on the market — construction products and product safety for goods you sell.
- Meet your environmental permit and emissions trading duties — the installation permit and the UK Emissions Trading Scheme.
- Non-metallic mineral products manufacturer compliance checklist — confirm you have covered everything.
Official sources
Authoritative starting points for non-metallic mineral product manufacturing.