One in 10 stonemasons diagnosed with lung disease after claiming ACC for exposure to engineered stone dust

Friday, 18 June 2021

Strict safety measures can reduce the risk of engineered stone workers getting sick from exposure to silica dust, but not all fabricators are bothering to follow them. (First published 2021)

One in 10 workers lodging claims for exposure to engineered stone dust has been diagnosed with the lung disease silicosis.

ACC has received 99 accident compensation claims from engineered stone workers, and 11 received cover following diagnosis of silicosis or the fast developing condition accelerated silicosis.

Occupational health experts say those figures are further proof of the need to speed up the painfully slow process of testing at-risk workers, and improving safety standards throughout an industry where they claim more than 1100 people could have been exposed to toxic silica dust.

Prolonged exposure to fine particles of respirable crystalline silica causes scarring of the lungs, and is also associated with kidney disease, and autoimmune conditions like rheumatoid arthritis.

Following repeated criticism from clinicians on the New Zealand Dust Diseases Task Force set up in 2019, the Ministry of Health has now agreed to spend $20,000 on a pilot study sending occupational health nurses into south Auckland workplaces to encourage staff to have health assessments.

It will be at least another year before a voluntary safety scheme for engineered stone fabricators reaches its goal of accrediting 130 businesses. Use of wet cutting equipment prevents worker exposure to silica dust.

* Hundreds of stonemasons at risk of lung disease, but 'relatively few' being tested

* Concerns for Kiwi stonemasons after accelerated silicosis rise in Australian benchtop craftsmen

The ministry said South Auckland was selected for the pilot study because of its relatively large number of engineered stone businesses, and its diverse workforce which would show whether language barriers were hindering workers from getting tested.

Occupational Health Nurses Association member Annette Stubbersfield said it was important to visit both large and small operators.

“We need to get into the very small businesses because they’re the ones that fly under the radar, and they haven’t understood how bad this is.”

Stubbersfield gave the example of a “two-man band” she visited after WorkSafe raised concerns about their health monitoring.

“I was horrified to find they had never had any training on how to use a mask properly … one of the employees had a valve missing in his respirator which meant he had no protection [from dust] whatsoever.

The level of silica in engineered stone ranges widely from less than 10% to more than 90%, and some natural stone also has a high silica content.

“It's the basics they don’t do, but in saying that, we find that with big players as well.”

Stubbersfield said she was aware of companies being given six months to improve their performance, which was long enough for workers to develop incurable accelerated silicosis from breathing in silica dust.

The high number on infringement notices being issued by WorkSafe also indicated that fabricators were not getting the message.

WorkSafe has issued 279 infringement notices to engineered stone businesses in the past two years for problems such as inadequate or poorly fitted protective equipment, and failure to monitor or control dust exposure.

A total of 139 businesses received notices, of which 42 had previously faced enforcement action.

The NZ Engineered Stone Advisory Group, which represents most major suppliers, has established a voluntary accreditation programme to improve industry safety standards

The programme received a $300,000 ACC grant, almost the same amount the Occupational Health Nurses Association asked the Government to invest in a dedicated team of occupational health experts to visit workplaces, instead of funnelling workers through GPs with little experience of dealing with dust diseases.

Stubbersfield said it was extremely disappointing to see that much money going to the industry, when more resources were needed to identify affected workers.

“It really upsets me that they did that before they looked at the critical stuff.”

Engineered Stone Advisory Group chairman Mike Arthur said they recommended that businesses swiftly rectified dust exposure, but importing and commissioning new equipment took time

He estimated there could be more than 200 engineered stone fabricators in New Zealand, and although accrediting 130 this year might be ambitious, they hoped to get that many done by September 2022.

Efforts to establish a similar accreditation system across the Tasman were dropped by the industry after objections from physicians, unions, and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, and state governments are now drafting their own licensing schemes.

Arthur said the size and scale of the industries differed between the two countries, so “differing approaches can be expected.”

WorkSafe also recently approached the members of the construction industry seeking their help in finding former engineered stone workers who may have been exposed to silica dust for at least six months over the past decade.

But occupational health physician Dr Alexandra Muthu said the 10-year limit was not sensible.

“It should be anyone who was exposed to engineered stone dust at any point since it was available.

“For example, if someone was exposed to engineered stone for two years from 10 to 12 years ago, they should also be assessed.”

An earlier version of this story said the occupational health nurse pilot would visit larger businesses, which was based on incorrect information provided by the Ministry of Health. The pilot will visit a random selection of small and large workplaces. Amended 6.40pm June 22, 2021.