The National Dust Disease Taskforce (NDDT) has made five recommendations to the Government as part of a national strategy to prevent occupational dust diseases in Australia.
In a statement, the NDDT said there was an emerging trend in parts of Australia of new cases of accelerated silicosis, a preventable occupational lung disease occurring in workers as a result of exposure to silica dust.
“This can occur in various industries, with recent cases related to the manufacture and installation of artificial stone bench tops, largely throughout Queensland,” the Taskforce said.
“At present, there is no known treatment to stop the progression of the disease,” it said.
“Some workers may eventually need a lung transplant.”
The NDDT was established by the Government in July last year and was tasked with developing a national approach to the prevention, early identification, control and management of occupational dust diseases in Australia.
The NDDT recommendations include developing a targeted education and communication campaign to raise awareness of the risks of working with engineered stone; ongoing staged development of a national dust disease registry; and targeted investment in key research activities to improve understanding of prevention, diagnosis and treatment.
It also recommended the development of national guidelines on screening workers working with engineered stone, and the development of a national approach to identify occupational silica dust exposure and other future occupational diseases.
A final report will be delivered to the Council of Australian Governments’ Health Council by the end of 2020.
