La Rocca Marble’s business looks set in stone after decades on Gold Coast

THE silicosis crisis has hurt the stone-cutting industry, but one Gold Coast business believes a proactive approach to health and safety can stop young workers shunning the trade.

THE silicosis crisis has hurt the stone-cutting industry, but one Gold Coast business believes a proactive approach to health and safety can stop young workers shunning the trade.

In October last year the Queensland Government issued an urgent warning after more than 20 silicosis claims were lodged with WorkCover, which included six people diagnosed as terminally ill.

Silicosis is an incurable and often fatal lung disease, which is caused by breathing dust from cutting concrete, sandstone, stone and other materials containing fragments of crystalline silica.

Industry veteran Derick Brosnan took over La Rocca Marble in 2011 from Salvatore La Rocca with the financial backing of friend and business partner Barry Scarborough.

Mr Brosnan said he has strictly enforced a code of wet-cutting the stone, where water is used to suppress the dust, since taking over.

“We have done everything we could possibly do to eliminate silicosis. I have 30 workers and not one has it. We have guys who have been stonemasons for 30 years,” he said.

“You have to teach people the safe way, not the quickest way, and that is always the longest way.”

La Rocca Marble and Granite photographed in 2016 after a tradesmen had both legs crushed when granite slabs he was stacking with another worker toppled over. Photo: Jessica Elder

Wet cutting means it takes longer to turn jobs around as it takes time for the stone to dry.

Mr Brosnan said he is saddened by the effect on the industry from the silicosis crisis.

“Kids may come home and say they have interviews for plumbing and stonemason jobs. The first thing the parents think about is the silicosis and they’ll tell them to go for the plumbing gig,” he said.

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“We want people to know there are good operators out there and you can cut stone safely.”

It isn’t just silicosis posing a threat to workers, but also accidents as well.

In 2016 a tradesmen at La Rocca had both legs crushed when granite slabs he was stacking with another worker toppled over.

Anthony White, 36, died earlier this year after contracting silicosis. Picture: Luke Marsden.

Mr Brosnan said the accident took a toll on him personally and pushed him to do an injury prevention and management program through Workcover.

Mr Brosnan started in the industry with Silestone as a salesman before moving over to Gold Coast company GMG Stone in 2000 just after it completed the job at Palazzo Versace.

He spent 10 years at GMG working his way up the ranks until he became head salesman.

“We set up in Mackay, we set up Toowoomba and really put them on the map,” he said.

“I ended up with the three biggest jobs in Queensland, which was doing benchtops at Soul, Hilton and Oracle for GMG.”

Mr Brosnan said he forged strong relationships with a number of key developers including Jim Raptis and Soheil Abedian on the Gold Coast, both before and during his time at GMG, which came in handy when he decided to go out on his own.

“I got together with Barry Scarborough and we decided to buy La Rocca Marble because it had a good name and was well established,” he said.

They took over La Rocca’s premises on Enterprise St before moving to 1500sq m at Gibb St in Arundel three years later.

Mr Brosnan said after the move the business took off.

“We had bigger premises and I got to lay the factory out the way I wanted to,” he said.

“That’s what I learned from Pantaleone (Galea) from GMG, how to do drains, how to do pits, how to set up machinery, how to make a factory flow.”

He said the business, whose clients include Sandsky Developments, Impact Homes and Villa World, was able to battle through tough periods because of its diverse client base.

“The last quarter has been quiet but that’s because the investor market has softened,” he said.

Mr Brosnan said Labor’s plans for a 50 per cent capital gains tax increase has spooked investors.

“Impact Homes is one of our biggest clients. We would do 10-15 jobs a day all day long for years. I’m lucky to be doing 10 a week for them now and that is in Queensland, Sydney and Melbourne.

“But we also have smaller builders such as Hallmark Homes that have steady work.”

Mr Brosnan said two jobs he is proud of include the main bar at the Southport Sharks bar in 2012 and another job for horseracing identity Ron Gilbert in Toowoomba several years later.

“We did an Onyx teppanyaki bar for him to blow his clients away and we did that.”