AUSTRALIA 1ST COUNTRY TO BAN ENGINEERED STONE DUE TO SURGE IN LUNG DISEASE

Thu 14 December 2023:

Australia became the first country to ban the engineered stone following reports of a surge in lung disease silicosis among workers developing the stones, local media reported on Wednesday.

The decision was made during a meeting of the Commonwealth, state, and territory workplace ministers, according to ABC News.

The ban will take effect in July next year.

“Engineered stone is a fashion product that is killing the workers who make it,” the broadcaster quoted Assistant Secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions Liam O’Brien as saying.

“With alternatives readily available, why are we risking the lives of tradies for a fashionable finish in our kitchens?” Brien pointed out.

Victoria, Queensland and New South Wales issued statements after the meeting, in which they committed to this date.

“No one should be exposed to fatal risks simply by going to work. It’s just unacceptable,” Victoria’s minister for WorkSafe, Danny Pearson said.

Queensland’s industrial relations minister, Grace Grace, said: “This is a dangerous product that’s known to cause the potentially fatal disease silicosis, and it has no place in our workplaces.”

The decision follows a recommendation by Australia’s workplace safety watchdog to prohibit the use of all engineered stone, irrespective of crystalline silica content, to protect the health and safety of workers.

The Safe Work Australia report found the rates of silicosis and silica-related diseases have “risen substantially in recent years, with a disproportionate number of diagnoses in engineered stone workers”. It said there was “no evidence” that lower levels of crystalline silica could be safe for workers cutting and grinding engineered stone.

The Australian Council of Trade Unions assistant secretary, Liam O’Brien, said the ban would “save lives”.

“We thank ministers for putting workers lives ahead of corporate profit,” O’Brien said.

“Engineered stone is a fashion product that is killing the workers who make it. With alternatives readily available, why are we risking the lives of tradies for a fashionable finish in our kitchens?”

The production of engineered stone in Australia continued in the 2000s, with the first case of silicosis problem linked to working on engineered stone reported in 2015. Since then, hundreds of cases have emerged in the country, according to the broadcaster.

-With Anadolu Agency

______________________________________________________________

FOLLOW INDEPENDENT PRESS:

WhatsApp CHANNEL
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAtNxX8fewmiFmN7N22