Tackling the silicosis epidemic with education

The Australian construction industry is grappling with a silicosis epidemic that has experts calling it the ‘new asbestos’. In recent weeks, the Australian government has tasked its national policy body, SafeWork Australia, to investigate banning engineered stone, as it is the fine dust created when working with this material that is harmful when inhaled. If this goes ahead, pending a final decision in the second half of 2023, it would make Australia the first country in the world to ban engineered stone products, though other countries including New Zealand, the UK, and the US are watching closely and may follow.

These changes have significant and wide-ranging implications with the primary aim being to protect workers, and rightly so. However, is enough being done? And if you work with crystalline silica products, what can you do to protect yourself now?

A summary of the problem

The science is in consensus when it comes to working with silica: there is no safe level of exposure to the dust created from working with engineered stone, and the resulting silicosis (an irreversible scarring and stiffening of the lungs) is incurable. Inhaling the dust can also cause lung cancer, kidney disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

A joint investigation published in February between newspapers The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, and current affairs program 60 Minutes, revealed that engineered stone manufacturers have known of the extent of the problem since at least 2012. When a lung disease expert authored a study linking silicosis to artificial stone workers, Caesarstone – the first company to import engineered stone into Australia – threatened him with legal action instead of addressing the arising safety concerns.

In the following years, workers have continued to work with engineered stone with guidelines suggesting ‘wet cutting’ to reduce the dust, but still inhaling large amounts, often with insufficient or no breathing protection. The investigation noted that it was particularly alarming to see young people in their 20’s already suffering the lung disease, illustrating the speed at which working with silica can become life-threatening. Sufferers report feeling like they are being ‘strangled’ or ‘having your lungs contracting from inside’.

Silicosis rates have been increasing in Australia for the past decade. The CFMEU have estimated that without a ban, an estimated 100,000 workers could contract silicosis in the next 50 years.

Working with engineered stone is killing workers, and it is crucial that workers know how to protect themselves.

The role of education in protection

Clearly, the role of education to combat silicosis must be a part of a wider strategy involving government regulations, an industry overhaul, and consumer awareness. However, the most at-risk population is the workforce who are still drilling or cutting silica-containing material, therefore, arming them with current information on the risks and preventative measures is imperative.

The danger for people working with engineered stone to date is two-fold: a lack of understanding of the dangers of inhaling silica dust and a lack of policy to enforce precautions and remove the risks.

The wheels are turning to enact policies to protect workers, though even a decision to enact a ban in the latter half of this year would see the ban come into effect a full 12 months later.

This makes the role of education all the more important. Anyone who works with crystalline silica should be educated on the dangers of this dust immediately. This education is mandatory in Victoria and has been since May 2022.

For employers looking to protect their workers, a Silica Awareness Training course meets this requirement. There are stricter licensing requirements in Victoria for manufacturers and installers of engineered stone and stonemasons.

COVE has offered a Silica Awareness Training course since 2022 and it is an excellent, detailed course created to protect workers. It teaches how to:

• prepare, contain, and remove Crystalline Silica,

• apply safe work practices involving Crystalline Silica, and

• decontaminate and dispose of Crystalline Silica.

Click here for the full course details.

What needs to change

Looking to the future, I believe that the new licence regulations, if monitored, should ensure workers have a greater level of protection. It is up to employers in the construction industry to have an Engineered Control Plan, provide appropriate PPE, and required ventilation, instruction, training, and supervision. Employees should be required to use the PPE correctly and follow all practicable direction.

In addition, employers could be proactive about their workers’ health by carrying out regular health checks and lung function tests for employees in industries where silica dust is prevalent.

The medical advice is clear and employers need to limit the exposure their workers have to silica dust immediately. Information is only as powerful as how well lessons are consistently applied, and so it is up to all levels of the industry to implement safe work practices to the highest level to protect workers’ lives.