Earthmoving News, Workplace Health & Safety

Calls for ban of high-silica materials as silicosis cases rise

Pressure is growing to ban high-silica materials in an effort to curb silicosis amongst workers exposed to silica dust

The debilitating damage to workers from exposure to silica dust from engineered stone and other high-silica materials is of grave concern and greater protections should be put in place to reduce the risk of silicosis, says NSW Labor.

NSW Labor’s policy will require construction companies engaged in tunnelling to undertake regular air monitoring with the results to be reported to SafeWork NSW. All worksites operating in industries with high exposure to silica dust will have to elect Health and Safety Committees comprising a majority of workers. The policy will also include a screening system for all workers exposed to silica dust and $5 million to support research by the Asbestos Diseases Research Institute into silicosis.

Respirable crystalline silica – silica dust – can cause silicosis, or scarring of the lungs, within months of high exposure. With no known cure, it can lead to serious lung conditions or lung cancer and has no cure.

The announcement came after Spanish worktop manufacturer Cosentino settled a nearly 15-year legal dispute recently by admitting in court that it failed to make clear the dangers of cutting and polishing its Silestone quartz material, which at the time contained 95 per cent silica.

Although Consentino denied allegations that handling of Silestone led to silicosis affecting 1,856 workers, it is now pushing for high-silica engineered stone to be banned from the market.

National strategy

The Lung Foundation Australia in its draft National Silicosis Prevention Strategy and Action Plan for Australia is also calling for a full ban on the importation of some or all engineered stone products by 2024 if “there are no measurable and acceptable improvements in regulatory compliance rates for the engineered stone sector and/or preventive measures prove to be ineffective”. 

A public consultation is currently underway on the strategy, which is being led by Lung Foundation Australia on behalf of the Australian government. This outlines prevention strategies to safeguard workers, with the aim of eventually eliminating silicosis as an occupational disease.

Lung Foundation Australia says that the issues goes far beyond engineered stone benchtop production, with up to 600,000 Australian workers potentially being exposed to silica dust each year in quarrying, construction, tunnelling, mining and other manufacturing processes.

In its draft statement, Lung Foundation Australia says that the large number of silicosis cases identified in the past five years demonstrates that this disease should be regarded as a national emergency.

“We know that cases of dust-related diseases will continue to climb in the coming years,” Lung Foundation Australia CEO Mark Brooke says.

“Recent research has predicted between 83,090 and 103,860 silicosis cases are expected to result from current occupational exposure.

“An urgent comprehensive national approach is needed that includes failsafe preventive measures, strong legislation and regulation that is consistently enforced, coordinated surveillance and monitoring, expanded air monitoring programs and improved health screening methods.” 

Priority areas

The draft statement identifies five priority areas for action to prevent and ultimately eliminate silicosis in Australia.

Workplace risk reduction

Starting with workplace risk reduction, it says that control methods are required to eliminate or minimise the generation of silica dust in the workplace, alongside ventilation, shift rotation, PPE provision, air monitoring and health monitoring for workers.

Lung Foundation Australia says that there needs to be a national ban on uncontrolled dry cutting or processing of silica-containing materials and a national licensing scheme implemented for businesses working with engineered stone. 

It says that the visibility and availability of product labels and safety data sheets also needs to be improved throughout the supply chain as, currently, designers, manufacturers, importers and suppliers do not currently have a duty to provide information as a safety data sheet for solid products that contain crystalline silica. 

Education and awareness 

Lung Foundation Australia says that there are significant knowledge gaps related to silicosis and many businesses and workers are unaware of the hazardous nature of working with silica-containing products. 

A lack of consistency across jurisdictions in WHS practice and guidance material has meant that, even if masks are supplied and warning signs put in place, training, monitoring and ongoing education is required to ensure that control behaviours are effectively and consistently employed.

Overall, it says that a variety of education and awareness practices are required, targeted at different stakeholders. This includes explaining to workers their rights and preventative measures, training medical providers about silicosis, and ensuring manufacturers, suppliers, importers and designers comply with WHS duties around labelling and the provision of safety sheets.

Health monitoring, screening and surveillance 

Although health monitoring is required under model WHS law, there’s a lack of a nationally consistent approach and accessibility of health screening assessments for occupational respiratory dust diseases. 

Lung Foundation Australia says that lifetime monitoring and ongoing respiratory surveillance of workers who currently, or have previously, had exposure to silica dust is necessary in order to identify the disease earlier and reduce the consequences of a diagnosis. As silicosis can appear many years after exposure, continued health surveillance beyond employment in at-risk industries is critical.

Governance

The draft statement says that a national governance mechanism is required to improve communication and information sharing, coordinate responses and report on progress.

Research and development

To foster a greater understanding of silicosis, its prevention and management, the statement says there should be a centralised system to capture and share data on the disease. Currently a register is in development for the mandatory reporting of all cases of silicosis. Lung Foundation Australia says funding is required for a silicosis prevention research strategy and the building of a centre of excellence focused on this topic.

Time for action

The Australian Workers’ Union welcomed NSW Labor’s announcement, saying the Coalition needs to follow suit to reform workplace safety laws to reduce the risk of silicosis.

“If NSW Labor forms government this year and enacts these laws there will be workers who get to grow old instead of dying of silicosis,” AWU national secretary Daniel Walton says.

“We desperately need better checks and stronger regulation to save lives underground. At the moment the dust monitoring conducted by companies is unnecessarily sporadic and complex.

“Compelling regular air monitoring, and mandating that the results by reported to SafeWork NSW, will make a massive difference.”

The Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) also voiced its support for the banning of engineered stone, ramping up efforts with its Stop the Killer Stone campaign.

More information

National Silicosis Prevention Strategy (public consultation closes March 10): https://lungfoundation.com.au/news/public-consultation-now-open-national-silicosis-prevention-strategy-and-action-plan/ 

Information on silicosis and ongoing healthcare: https://lungfoundation.com.au/patients-carers/conditions/occupational-lung-disease/silicosis/

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