Safety and Health at Work Vol. 13 Supplement 2022
Changes to Silica Exposure Control Measures in the Artificial Stone Benchtop Industry in Victoria Australia
Dublin Core
Title
Safety and Health at Work Vol. 13 Supplement 2022
Changes to Silica Exposure Control Measures in the Artificial Stone Benchtop Industry in Victoria Australia
Changes to Silica Exposure Control Measures in the Artificial Stone Benchtop Industry in Victoria Australia
Subject
Silica Exposure Control Measures, Artificial Stone Benchtop Industry, Victoria Australia
Description
Introduction: We have previously shown that cumulative exposure and intensity of silica exposure, estimated from the proportion of time dry processing and proportion of time working on artificial stone predicted the risk of adverse respiratory outcomes for workers in the artificial stone bench top industry.
Materials and Methods: Respiratory health screening, which included a job history, was offered to stonemasons in Victoria, Australia. Workers reported on determinants of exposure for each job, including proportion of time dry processing, the proportion of time working on artificial stone, the use of respiratory protection, and of ventilation for up to five jobs.
Results: In jobs held after April 2019, 60% of workers reported never
undertaking dry processing, compared to 15% before April 2019, and 17% of workers reported at least 10% of their time was spent dry processing. The percentage of workers always wearing respiratory
protection doubled after April 2019. Use of ventilation on the tools
increased from 7% to 23% after April 2019. The most common types
of ventilation reported in both time frames were ‘open window/ doors’ and ‘in the ceiling’, neither of which were likely to be effective control measures.
Conclusions: There has been increased awareness of the risks associated with silica dust since early 2019. Control measures have been implemented, with areas for improvement identified in this study.
Materials and Methods: Respiratory health screening, which included a job history, was offered to stonemasons in Victoria, Australia. Workers reported on determinants of exposure for each job, including proportion of time dry processing, the proportion of time working on artificial stone, the use of respiratory protection, and of ventilation for up to five jobs.
Results: In jobs held after April 2019, 60% of workers reported never
undertaking dry processing, compared to 15% before April 2019, and 17% of workers reported at least 10% of their time was spent dry processing. The percentage of workers always wearing respiratory
protection doubled after April 2019. Use of ventilation on the tools
increased from 7% to 23% after April 2019. The most common types
of ventilation reported in both time frames were ‘open window/ doors’ and ‘in the ceiling’, neither of which were likely to be effective control measures.
Conclusions: There has been increased awareness of the risks associated with silica dust since early 2019. Control measures have been implemented, with areas for improvement identified in this study.
Creator
Deborah Glass, Christina Dimitriadis, Jessy Hansen, Fiona Hore-Lacy,
Malcolm R. Sim and Ryan F. Hoy
Malcolm R. Sim and Ryan F. Hoy
Publisher
Elsevier Korea LLC
Date
January 2022
Contributor
Sri Wahyuni
Format
PDF
Language
English
Type
Text
Coverage
Safety and Health at Work Vol. 13 Supplement 2022
Files
Citation
Deborah Glass, Christina Dimitriadis, Jessy Hansen, Fiona Hore-Lacy,
Malcolm R. Sim and Ryan F. Hoy, “Safety and Health at Work Vol. 13 Supplement 2022
Changes to Silica Exposure Control Measures in the Artificial Stone Benchtop Industry in Victoria Australia,” Repository Horizon University Indonesia, accessed November 22, 2024, https://repository.horizon.ac.id/items/show/2401.
Changes to Silica Exposure Control Measures in the Artificial Stone Benchtop Industry in Victoria Australia,” Repository Horizon University Indonesia, accessed November 22, 2024, https://repository.horizon.ac.id/items/show/2401.