Why an engineered stone ban is not enough

While a ban on engineered stone is welcome, research suggests that more needs to be done to protect workers from silicosis.

Engineered stone has been the cause of an unprecedented spike in cases of silicosis from the inhalation of respirable crystalline silica (RCS). Countries around the world — particularly the UK — are on a fast track to replicate the ban on engineered stone that Australia has implemented as a guard against the scourge of silicosis.

Although such bans are well overdue, research indicates a very real risk that they could also lull workers and employers into a false sense of security.

Study finds workers still at risk

A recent US study suggests that even where mandated safety measures have been put in place by employers, workers are still being exposed to RCS.

The study, published in the Annals of Work Exposures and Health, examined the levels of background RCS on a construction site in Colorado. Personal worker and area background silica samples were taken over 13 days and involved workers working on dried concrete/mortar.

The site followed Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidelines designed to protect workers from RCS exposure above the permissible exposure limit of 50 μg m−3. The same exposure limit applies across Australian workplaces. The OSHA guidelines include dust control measures such as dust suppression with water, HEPA filtration vacuum collection systems and drill shrouds.

The results suggested that dust controls were inadequate for a number of construction activities, including a walk-behind saw (126 μg m−3), dowel drilling (99.9 μg m−3), and grinding (172 μg m−3).

The study’s authors concluded that “managers and employees may assume that they will not be over-exposed to silica while employing the mandated dust controls”.

According to the authors, the results of their study suggested that even with the implementation of dust controls and work practices, employees may still be at risk of silica exposure above the OSHA permissible exposure limits.

“The results indicate that exposure to hazardous levels of RCS can still occur with the OSHA-mandated controls fully implemented and that exposure to RCS may have been exacerbated from background silica concentrations,” the authors said.

The results of the study also suggest that real-time air monitoring may be warranted to identify employees who are at an increased risk of silica exposure, according to Glyn Pierce-Jones, CEO of safety technology company Trolex.

The benefits of real-time air monitoring

Even with engineered stone out of the picture, natural stone, concrete, tiles and bricks still pose a significant risk. However, real-time air monitoring is not required of employers complying with dust controls.

“Many Australian workers still face serious health risks, even with the much-welcomed banning of engineered stone,” Pierce-Jones said.

“Even with engineered stone out of the picture and strong workplace safety regulations — as strong as any in the world — Australian worksites still carry risks that can only be reduced if real-time dust monitoring is introduced.”

Engineered stone brought the danger of RCS into sharp relief because it was impossible to miss the scourge it caused. Pierce-Jones said while bans are a crucial step in the right direction, now is the time to shine a light on the hidden dangers of background RCS with real-time dust monitoring.

Image credit: iStock.com/simonkr. Stock image used is for illustrative purposes only.