The Minns Labor government has boosted its efforts to help save lives by issuing improvement notices to enforce the ban on engineered stone.
The NSW Government is funding a new team of dedicated Inspectors. Established since September, the $2.5 million investment will see specialised Silica Inspectors issue prohibition notices to stop work that generates high levels of silica dust. Businesses can face penalties up to $40,000 for non-compliance.
In the first two months since inspections began, the new SafeWork NSW's Silica Compliance Team has conducted 118 inspections, issuing 125 improvement notices and seven prohibition notices in workplaces.
This includes a blitz in Southwest Sydney late October where the team conducted over 36 inspections: issuing 47 improvement notices and five prohibition notices. Inspectors focused on dry cutting, appropriate use of respiratory protective equipment, and health monitoring.
Silicosis is caused by items with a high silica content such as engineered stone. The stone has been linked to the incurable illness since 2015. Engineered stone is a common item used in kitchen benchtops.
The national ban on engineered stone which commenced on July 1, 2024, prohibits the manufacture, supply, processing and installation of engineered stone benchtops, panels and slabs containing at least 1% silica.
Uncontrolled cutting, drilling, polishing and grinding of CSS materials such as granite, tiles, bricks and sandstone can also lead to serious illnesses such as silicosis, lung disease, lung cancer, and kidney disease.
These safeguards complement the engineered stone ban and the national engineered stone importation ban.
The enforcement action follows the Minns Labor government's commitment in April of $5 million in critical funding for silicosis research and a patient support program for individuals and their families navigating the health risks associated with exposure to silica dust.
The grant funding, administered collaboratively by icare and the Dust Diseases Board, will be provided over three years to the Asbestos and Dust Diseases Research Institute (ADDRI).
In addition, the icare Lung clinic provides specialised lung health assessments to current and retired workers who are at risk of developing a workplace dust disease, such as mesothelioma, asbestosis or silicosis.
In 2025, the Lung Bus will travel right around the state, including stops in Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie, Gosford, Dubbo, Bathurst, Broken Hill, Griffith, Wagga Wagga, Tamworth and Newcastle.
More information on the full list of Lung Bus destinations can be found here.
More information on crystalline silica and the new safety requirements can be found here: www.safework.nsw.gov.au/hazards-a-z/hazardous-chemical/priority-chemicals/crystalline-silica#new-safety-requirements
Quotes attributable to Minister for Work Health and Safety Sophie Cotsis:
"The NSW Government is committed to reducing the unacceptably high rates of silicosis experienced by workers. Between July 2023 and June 2024 there were 115 new silicosis cases and sadly ten people died from the disease. From July to September there have been a further 23 new cases of silicosis reported.
"The new requirements, along with enforcement and education from the new silica compliance team, and the engineered stone importation ban, will hopefully go a long way in bringing those numbers down and create safer workplaces."
Quotes attributable to Head of SafeWork NSW Trent Curtin:
"No one deserves to have their health compromised due to their working environment.
"I'm pleased to see our Inspectors out and about educating and enforcing the new silica regulations. They will continue their zero-tolerance approach to protecting workers' lives from being endangered through exposure to deadly crystalline silica dust.
"In NSW, as the SafeWork NSW campaign goes, It's the Safe Way or No Way."
