Andrew has been a tradie since he was 10. His work has left him dying

In January 2019, Andrew Klohk was summoned to the Sydney CBD offices of the state insurer, icare, for his first lung function test. Within hours, he was in hospital having a CT scan and was delivered a devastating blow: he had silicosis, an incurable lung disease.

Klohk, 53, had worked as a stonemason from the age of 16 – and at weekends from age 10 – with his father on the family’s wall and floor tiling business. Silica dust infiltrated his lungs and left him with stage three silicosis. He can no longer work.

Stonemason Andrew Klohk has silicosis disease.Credit: Janie Barrett

The father of five is part of a growing cohort. Between July 2023 and June 2024, there were 115 new silicosis cases reported in NSW. Ten people have died. In the past two months, 23 people have received the fatal diagnosis.

A national ban on the use, supply and manufacture of engineered stone, which is used to create shiny kitchen benchtops and bathroom vanities as a cheaper alternative to marble and granite, began on July 1, but concerns remain for tradespeople who could be exposed to silica dust.

A new team of specialised inspectors in NSW has been carrying out workplace blitzes since September, ensuring the ban is being enforced.

They want to stop the spread of the deadly but preventable lung disease during NSW’s transition period, where the materials are still being used for contracts signed before December 31, 2023 and installed by the end of this year.

In the process, Safe Work inspectors have discovered a host of breaches in construction companies and workshops, mainly around the incorrect use of personal protection equipment.

In two months, the inspectors have conducted 118 inspections, issuing 125 improvement notices and seven prohibition notices in workplaces. Two $2500 fines have been issued.

Working with engineered stone is the primary cause of silicosis but lower-level exposure can also occur when working with other building materials, such as bricks and tiles.

A 2023 Safe Work Australia report, commissioned after an investigation by this masthead and 60 Minutes, revealed an increase in silicosis cases among workers, finding there was no safe level of the dust emitted when engineered stone slabs were cut, and recommending the ban.

A Curtin University study into silicosis published in 2022 estimated there were more than 275,000 workers, including miners, contractors, construction workers, stonemasons and tunnellers, exposed to high levels of crystalline silica, which is carcinogenic.

Commissioned by the ACTU, the study predicted 103,000 of those workers would be diagnosed with silicosis.

NSW Minister for Work Health and Safety Sophie Cotsis said the state government was determined to reduce the unacceptably high rates of silicosis experienced by workers.

“The new requirements, along with enforcement and education from the new silica compliance team, and the engineered stone importation ban, will hopefully go a long way in bringing those numbers down and create safer workplaces,” she said.

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