The Victorian state government announced Wednesday that it would be banning the “dry-cutting” of materials that contain crystalline silica dust, something often found in modern kitchen counters and other stonework.
The move comes after artificial stone has rapidly become a favourite for those looking to remodel or build a kitchen. For the tradies and apprentices putting those bench-tops together, dry-cutting proves a serious risk of silicosis and miners and construction workers are also at risk.
Silicosis is when the lungs are irreversibly scarred and stiffened. On Thursday morning, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said the prominence of the dust on Australian worksites represented a national emergency “the likes of which we haven’t seen since the asbestos crisis.”
Andrews said the Victorian government would audit 300 high-risk workplaces across the state and offer free health checks to any workers who have been exposed.
Silica dust is very harmful when inhaled into the lungs and exposure to the dust can also lead to lung cancer and kidney disease. The Cancer Council estimates that of the 587,000 workers exposed to silica dust in 2011 5758 will develop lung cancer at some point in their life as a result of the exposure. The average age of a claim for silicosis is 41.
“What we can’t have is … tradies paying the ultimate price, that price being death, in terms of unsafe exposure to silica causing silicosis,” said Workplace Safety Minister Jill Hennessy on Wednesday.
The Victorian government has called on the Federal Government to follow suit.
“This is a start,” said Premier Andrews, “but it’s not enough.”
