In this episode of Build and Thrive, Jennie Armstrong sits down with Martin Wilshire, Health, Safety and Wellbeing Director at Multiplex, for a practical and timely conversation about one of construction’s most persistent health risks: dust.
Dust is not a new topic for the industry. Most people working in construction already know that exposure to hazardous dust can have devastating consequences. What makes this episode stand out is that it moves beyond awareness and into action. Rather than talking in general terms about what the industry should do, Martin shares a real-world example of what one organisation is doing now to address silica exposure, improve respiratory protection and start meaningful conversations about health surveillance.
It is an honest discussion about what progress looks like, what still gets in the way, and why leadership matters if health is ever going to be treated with the same seriousness as safety.
From safety to health: a career that shaped a wider perspective
Martin’s route into construction and health leadership was not conventional. He began his career in the Royal Air Force Police, before moving into a contracts role for an insulation company, where he started to see first-hand how occupational health issues could affect people’s lives.
One of the moments that stayed with him was discovering that a senior supervisor had developed late-stage hand-arm vibration syndrome. That experience shifted his perspective.
As Martin Wilshire explains, it was a “light bulb moment” that showed him just how serious occupational health could be, not in theory, but in terms of someone’s everyday life and future ability to work.
From there, his career took him onto the Wembley Stadium project, then into cut-and-carve and refurbishment, and eventually to Multiplex, where he has now spent more than a decade.
His point is one that many safety professionals will recognise: construction has often been much more comfortable talking about safety than health. Not because safety is unimportant – quite the opposite – but because health issues can be slower to surface, harder to see and more difficult to manage in an industry built around programme, cost and short-term delivery.
Why health in construction still fluctuates
A strong theme in the episode is that the industry’s approach to health often fluctuates.
Martin reflects that construction is a programme-driven world. Attention tends to go to the issues where organisations believe they can have the biggest and fastest impact. That often pushes health down the list, even though the long-term consequences can be severe.
Jennie Armstrong puts it well when she challenges this contrast: if the industry can find ways to manage safety risks, it should also be able to find ways to manage health risks better too.
Martin agrees – but he is equally clear that many of the barriers are rooted in how construction does business. He talks about the way risk is pushed down the supply chain, the lack of visibility that can come with multiple layers of subcontracting, and the reality of a transient workforce. All of that makes health surveillance, continuity of care and consistent standards much harder to achieve.
That is one of the most useful takeaways from this episode: health failures are not just caused by a lack of knowledge. They are often embedded in the structure of the industry itself.
Why Multiplex focused on silica
The central case study in this episode is Silica 25, the Multiplex campaign focused on silica risk and respiratory protection.
Martin explains that the company had already been gathering health data through what they call health intervention tours. These tours collect both positive and negative observations from site, helping the leadership team see where the biggest risks are emerging. At the time of this conversation, the two most significant areas were respiratory risk and noise.
That data was important because it showed an ongoing issue: workers with heavy facial hair wearing close-fitting FFP3 masks that could not possibly be providing the protection intended.
Martin is blunt about that reality. In his words, it is hard to understand how, in 2026, anyone from a management perspective does not know that this is not right.
That concern was then sharpened by developments in Australia, where the government moved to ban artificial stone, and by the work of Dr Joanna Feary and colleagues at the Royal Brompton Hospital on the first known UK cases of accelerated silicosis linked to artificial stone.
That was the turning point.
After hearing directly from Dr Joanna Feary, Martin says the leadership team at Multiplex were left asking a simple question. As Martin Wilshire recalls, after the presentation their director Andrew Ridley-Barker said: “So what’s hard about banning it then?”
That question became the foundation for action.
The three strands of Multiplex’s Silica 25 approach
One of the most useful parts of the episode is how clearly Martin breaks the campaign down into three main areas.
1. Banning artificial stone on new projects
Multiplex has taken the decision that artificial stone will no longer be introduced into new projects after late 2025.
Martin acknowledges that this created some nervousness externally, but he gives full credit to the business leadership for standing firm.
The reasoning is simple: if a material is associated with severe and accelerated disease, and if the wider supply chain includes environments where controls are poor and workers are highly vulnerable, then waiting is not an acceptable response.
The conversation also makes clear that this is not about attacking manufacturers or ignoring commercial realities. It is about deciding that the risk is too serious to carry on as normal.
2. Improving respiratory protection
The second strand is about making sure the right respiratory protective equipment is available, used correctly and challenged when it is not.
This includes pushing for a move away from inappropriate disposable or semi-disposable masks where workers have facial hair, and towards more suitable powered air-fed respiratory protection.
This part of the discussion includes one of the strongest lines in the whole episode. As Martin Wilshire says:
“This is a matter of life and death. Respiratory protection is a matter of life and death, and it deserves the requisite level of asset management to reflect the seriousness of that.”
That quote gets to the heart of the issue. Too often, respiratory protection is treated like a consumable rather than a critical control. Martin challenges that mindset directly, especially when supply chain partners cite fears about workers walking away with more expensive equipment.
His argument is straightforward: if other critical assets can be managed properly, so can respiratory protection.
3. Starting a more serious conversation on health surveillance
The third strand is health surveillance.
Rather than pretending to have all the answers, Martin describes this as a process of listening to the supply chain and understanding the barriers they face. Multiplex is not approaching this as a test, but as a genuine effort to understand what is realistic, what is missing, and what could be done collectively.
That has included working with Asthma + Lung UK to provide basic spirometry on some sites, giving workers a simple opportunity to have their lung function checked and, where needed, seek further investigation.
Interestingly, Martin says the referral rate has been significant. That does not mean everyone referred has a serious issue, but it does show the value of even a basic level of screening.
It also exposed another challenge: some workers are keen to engage straight away, while others are wary, often because of what the results might mean for their employment.
That fear is real, and the episode does a good job of acknowledging it without letting it become an excuse for inaction.
The bigger issue: construction still lacks a consistent health pathway
One of the strongest strategic messages from Martin is that the industry still lacks a coherent, shared approach to occupational health.
When Jennie asks what he would do if he could wave a magic wand, Martin’s answer is a national construction testing pathway – a standardised approach that recognises construction health as a major risk and provides more consistent screening and support.
That matters because, in his view, enforcement alone will never be enough.
As Martin Wilshire says:
“We cannot rely on the Health and Safety Executive and the enforcement model forever, because that’s just not the reality. They can’t be everywhere.”
That is not a criticism of enforcement. It is a reminder that employers themselves have to step up. If the industry knows the risks are real, then waiting for external pressure cannot be the only route to action.
Psychosocial risk, culture and better decisions
Although the episode is mainly about dust and respiratory health, Jennie and Martin also touch on psychosocial risk and what the UK can learn from Australia.
Martin explains that the term itself may be newer to some businesses, but the concept is not. Workplace stressors, poor organisational decisions, strained programmes and commercial pressure all influence how people behave and the decisions they make.
His view is that these pressures eventually “weigh down on the hard hat of the supervisor” until someone makes a bad decision.
That links health and safety in a way the industry often separates too neatly.
Martin also reflects on the importance of trust, culture and agency through Multiplex’s One Life One Team programme. The aim is to create environments where workers feel safe, respected and able to speak up – including saying, “I don’t actually want to do that,” or, “Is there a better way?”
That kind of culture matters just as much in health as it does in safety.
Key takeaways from the episode
- Silica exposure is an immediate and serious risk, not a future concern.
- Respiratory protection must be treated as a critical control, not a basic consumable.
- Health surveillance is difficult in construction but remains essential to improve.
- Simple screening like spirometry can help identify risks earlier.
- Psychosocial pressures directly influence decision-making and risk on site.
- Real progress requires action from organisations, not just industry-wide discussion.
Listen or watch the full episode of Build & Thrive to hear the complete conversation with Martin Wilshire and host Jennie Armstrong.
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📺 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEoibJLDuFnnT3qSQw37LKPG6xlyvCj7B
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Learn more about the people and organisations mentioned in this episode:
Jennie Armstrong: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniearmstrong/
Construction Health & Wellbeing: https://constructionhealth.co.uk/
GKR Scaffolding (sponsor): https://gkrscaffolding.co.uk/
Martin Wilshire:
Multiplex:
