More than 600,000 workers across the nation have been exposed to respirable crystalline silica, which can lead to silicosis: a debilitating and incurable disease primarily impacting the lungs.
Mum-of-two Joanna McNeill, 36, from Melbourne, developed a deadly and incurable lung condition from breathing in silica dust during her six years working at a quarry.
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An Australian construction union has told tradies to strike if the government doesn't ban imports of deadly engineered stone benchtops that can cause silicosis.
Australian mother-of-two Joanna McNeill, 34, was diagnosed with silicosis after working in an administration job near a quarry
Imports of engineered stone popular in Australian kitchens and bathrooms could be banned unless employers lift their game to protect workers from silica dust exposure.
A federal task force says health and safety regulations aren't properly protecting workers from dust exposure linked to the deadly lung disease silicosis.
Its final report released on Monday stopped short of recommending an immediate ban on imports.
But the task force said Australia should get ready to ban some or all product imports from July 2024 in the absence of significant industry changes.
A national dust disease task force set up in 2019 is due to hand its final recommendations to government this month, after getting a COVID-19 extension.
Ban on popular benchtops being considered as wave of deadly illness sparks alarm
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A ban on popular artificial stone benchtops is being considered by a national taskforce grappling with spiralling rates of deadly silicosis in tradies.
Artificial stone has become ubiquitous in Australian kitchens and bathrooms since it hit the marketplace two decades ago as an affordable alternative to marble or granite.
Artificial stone contains up to 95 per cent silica, compared to less than 40 per cent silica in natural stone.
However, the home renovation trend has corresponded with an exponential rise in rates of silicosis among construction workers.
A leading dust-control expert is warning Aussies to be aware of potentially deadly dust in workplaces you might not expect. It comes after the Australian Workers Union last week revealed the diagnosis of Joanna McNeill, a 34-year-old Melbourne mother of two, whose silicosis was detected through an X-ray check when she returned to work from maternity leave. Ms McNeill said she worked at Boral Quarries in Melbourne's east, doing administrative tasks in an office 90 metres from a crushing plant. Managing director of de-dusting equipment specialist Mideco, Melton White, said the need for frontline workers in mining and quarrying to wear personal protective equipment had become better understood in recent years.
Australian Workers' Union
The Australian Workers’ Union has accused the Federal Government of bowing to industry pressure by leaving thousands of workers at risk of developing the deadly lung disease silicosis.
The AWU says preliminary reforms recommended by the Federal Government’s National Dust Disease Taskforce will only provide extra protection for stonemasons, leaving the construction industry, miners, quarry workers, and tunnellers out in the cold.
“It took two decades to make James Hardie pay and for the truth to come out about asbestos. It would be a disgrace if we allow history to repeat itself,” said AWU National Secretary Daniel Walton.