this post was submitted on 13 Dec 2023
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Silicosis can come from a wide variety of sources, basically anything where stone dust occurs can produce it, even natural stone countertop manufacturing has long been known to be dangerous in that regard.
This whole ban feels more like populism than addressing the real problems. Engineered stone has become a popular material, lots of people have worked with it with insufficient safety precautions and now there's a number of people permanently disabled by it.
Simply banning engineered stone won't solve that problem, since it will now just happen with other materials.
You wouldn't generally get all federal and state governments signing on to something that is just 'populism'.
Engineered stone is more dangerous than natural stone because it contains much more silica, and so it has resulted in an acute accelerated form of silicosis: https://www.medicalrepublic.com.au/why-silicosis-is-on-the-rise-and-what-to-do-about-it/24559
As someone who works making glass, I want to underline that it's silica dust that is dangerous. Your windows, drinking glasses, pyrex jugs, dinner plates, they'll all be around 40--50% silica and are absolutely safe. Silicosis is a reaction to the shape of silica particles when inhaled, the particles cause scarring in the lungs and aren't "mucused out", so they remain causing more damage over time.
I can't think of any reason to ban anything for containing silica, the problem is mitigated by wearing a mask in areas where there are airborne particles.
Ah, I missed what you were getting at before. Agreed, can't see why engineered stone should be a particular hazard if proper safety measures are being taken. Best guess is that they weren't, and this ban is simply the chosen way to stop people being harmed by the work. Just seems more performative than useful.
This comment gives a great summary, better than I can do: https://aussie.zone/comment/5073286
(In case that comment disappears for any reason, though:
Particularly there is this report: https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-02/decision_ris_-_managing_the_risks_of_crystalline_silica_at_work_-_for_publication_pdf.pdf
But broadly, engineered stone is significantly different because of both its composition and how it's used. The proof of the pudding, though, is that with its rise in popularity we've also seen the rise of these 'acute accelerated' cases of silicosis.)
yeah the real issue they need to come down hard on is disregard for oh&s in the building industry, poor education and worker exploitation. I expect this to happen around the same time my grandmother's pig sprouts wings and takes flight.