Ken Parker,a silicosis sufferer who was cutting 40 benchtops a day before he was diagnosed,undergoes a lung function test.Credit:Steven Siewert
“Caesarstone’s primary concern is that a wholesale ban is unnecessary,excessive and,most importantly,will not solve the devastating issue of silicosis,” the company’s Australian managing director,David Cullen,wrote in a letter to Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke ahead of a radio,print and social media campaign.
“We believe such action may actually increase risks for workers,who will continue to handle types of stone containing levels of harmful silica higher – sometimes significantly – than the engineered stone products now available.”
A joint investigation byTheSydney Morning Herald,TheAge and60 Minutes revealedworkers exposed to silica dust were battling the debilitating symptoms of the lung disease silicosis while state-based regulators failed to effectively police workplaces to guard against the dangers associated with inhaling the dust generated from cutting engineered stone.
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Graeme Edwards,a former member of the national dust diseases taskforce and a Royal College of Physicians fellow,said Caesarstone’s argument “doesn’t make sense”.
“The engineered stone clearly is associated with a much higher risk than other crystalline silica-containing products and the industry and regulators have demonstrated a failure to protect workers using engineered stone,” he said.
“The regulators have had every opportunity to implement a tighter licensing scheme and their failure to do so underpins the need for a ban on the product.”