South Australia will soon ban the uncontrolled cutting of engineered stone products in a move to get ahead of Australia’s escalating silicosis crisis.
Nearly 600,000 workers have been exposed to respirable crystalline silica, the fine dust released by cutting engineered stone, and 10,000 are expected to develop lung cancers from the exposure, according to a report from Curtin University.
South Australia has joined Western Australia, Victoria and the ACT is tightening up control measures for stone masons and other workers exposed to the dust, but Australian Council of Trade Unions assistant secretary Liam O’Brien says there is only one thing that will put a stop to the country’s new health emergency.
“The only way we will end silicosis among stone masons is to ban engineered stone,” he said.
“This is good (the South Australia measures), it is going to improve worker safety, but it is nowhere near enough.”
Engineered stone is used is used in kitchens and bathrooms but Mr O’Brien dismissed them as “fashion items”.
“There are plenty of products we can build kitchen benchtops with,” he said.
“We don’t need to use these dangerous materials.”
The South Australian regulations, announced by Industrial Relations Minister Kyam Maher on August 1, will make it an offence for a person conducting a business to direct or allow a worker to process engineered stone without specific control measures in place to minimise the risk of silica dust inhalation.
All workers involved in cutting, grinding, trimming, sanding, or drilling engineered stone products must be provided with respiratory protective equipment and use a dust control system such as a water suppressant or exhaust ventilation.
Fines of up to $3m and prison sentences of up to five years are on the cards for businesses that break the new laws, set to come into effect on September 1.
“We know silicosis is a rapidly growing problem across Australia,” Mr Maher
“These new regulations are an immediate step to protect the health and safety of workers, ahead of the national meeting of workplace health and safety ministers later this year which will consider further regulatory action on engineered stone.”
It is understood the ministers will consider a ban on all engineered stone products at the meeting.