Safework SA issues 173 compliance notices in silicosis crackdown on construction and engineered stone industry

Almost 40 businesses have been found to have dozens of safety issues as Safework SA cracks down on silica, the microscopic cause of the deadly lung disease silicosis.

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An audit of the manufactured stone industry has resulted in Safework SA issuing more than 170 notices to 36 firms, some guilty of exposing their workers to dangerous levels of silica dust.

Silica has been linked to a number of serious respiratory illnesses that has led to deadly diagnoses in the construction industry.

The increasing use of engineered stone, which contains as much as 95 per cent silica, for kitchens and bathrooms prompted Safework to probe the amount of dust exposure to its workers. Dust particles are generated by cutting, drilling or polishing the stone.

The audit targeted 26 firms which focused on fabrication and installation of engineered stone as well as 12 construction companies which regularly handle the material.

Almost 70 per cent of the fabricating businesses had not conducted air monitoring of the work area to measure the dust output.

Safework SA issued 20 improvement notices for businesses where employees were not equipped with respiratory protective equipment.

Work, health and safety workers in six separate cases witnessed employees wet cutting the stone without any breathing protection.

Gold Coast stonemason Anthony White, who has silicosis, in hospital.

Chairman of Cancer Council Australia’s Occupational and Environmental Cancer Committee Professor Tim Driscoll said in October that many Australian workers were aware of the risks of silica but were not sure how to protect themselves.

“Each year in Australia about 600,000 people are exposed to silica dust in the workplace, from materials such as artificial and natural stone, bricks and concrete,” he said.

“We regularly see workers cutting granite kitchen benches, tiles or bricks or demolishing materials without proper protection in place – which is a real concern.

“These new resources for workplaces explain the risk simply and provide a call to action for employers and workers to make sure proper control measures are used” Prof Driscoll said.

A health screening study of workers who are routinely exposed to silica is being completed but the Mining and Quarrying Occupational and Safety Committee with the findings due at a later date.

The Thoracic Society of Australia, which is made up of respiratory specialists, wrote to the South Australian Government in 2016 out of concern for the rising exposure of workers to the dust.

Originally published as Safework SA issues 173 compliance notices in silicosis crackdown on construction and engineered stone industry