After Australia’s first death from silicosis, the country, companies and employees have come together to fight the problem of this life-threatening condition
In the past two years, Australia had its first reported fatality from silicosis. In response, the Australian government has been advocating for change and protection for fabricators. Silicosis is a form of occupational, non-reversible lung disease caused by inhalation of silica dust over a long period of time. Silica is a highly common, crystal-like mineral found in sand, rock, and quartz. It can have deadly consequences for people who work with stone, tile, concrete, glass, or other forms of rock.
“At this moment, the actual limit is 0.1 micrograms per cubic meter,” said Mark Moskwa, sales director of Top Notch Tools. “Recently, there has been another regulation around uncontrolled dry cutting on engineered stone cutting on jobsites that now bans it. It was implemented in Victoria in August and mandated on the first of November in 2019.”