In Australia, they are currently developing large tracts of land, building major infrastructure road projects, mining, and have a love for stone benchtops in our homes. All of these activities expose workers to silica dust hazards. In this insight, Dr Susanne Bahn the CEO of Tap into Safety takes a look at Safe Work Australia’s National Guidance Material to outline silica dust hazards and provide some mitigation strategies.
Silica is silicon dioxide that you can find in many rocks and soils, for example, quartz, and exposure to silica dust is highly hazardous and can result in injury, illness and disease. We typically associate Black Lung Disease with coal mining and much has been researched and written about this disease. However, exposure to silica dust and asbestos can result in silicosis. The symptoms are very similar.
What can happen if we expose workers to silica dust?
Exposure to silica dust can lead to several immediate symptoms and long term health problems including:
- Irritated eyes and damage over time
- Breathing problems
- Chronic bronchitis
- Emphysema
- Lung cancer
- Silicosis
The problem is that silicosis is irreversible, and symptoms may not appear for years after the initial exposure. Silicosis is a severe health problem for workers. It is also a concern for organisations because health claims from past employees can develop years after they left the business. Prevention and health monitoring are critical.
The Cancer Council of Australia reports that in 2011, approximately 587,000 Australian workers were exposed to silica dust in the workplace. They estimate that 5,758 of these will develop lung cancer throughout their life as a result of that exposure.
How is Airborne Silica Dust Generated?
Workplace processes such as crushing, cutting, drilling, grinding, sanding, sawing or polishing of natural stone or man-made silica-containing products, generate silica dust. Respirable silica dust particles are those that are small enough to breathe in and penetrate deep into the lungs causing permanent damage that can lead to serious illness. Dust particles can hang in the air for a long time, even after we finish the work.
We find silica dust:
- in waste or sand-based products, and
- in materials brought to your workplace.
We create silica dust:
- during manufacturing and construction, and
- when mining or tunnelling.
Managing silica dust hazards
There are several things that can be done to minimise the impact of silica dust. One crucial step is ensuring your staff have the correct PPE when working in an area where silica dust may be present.
Other control methods include ensuring appropriate ventilation or using wet cutting within engineering, and even isolating workers from areas where silica dust is present in high volumes. These steps can help you to keep your workforce safe. You can find more detail on managing silica dust hazards here.
