Good. Compliance with safety standards would have saved lives and made working on this material safe enough for the industry to flourish yes. But the industry didn't care. They waited for...
Good.
"Most importantly, it [the decision] fails to address the real cause of rising silicosis rates – poor compliance with and enforcement of safety standards,"
Compliance with safety standards would have saved lives and made working on this material safe enough for the industry to flourish yes. But the industry didn't care. They waited for enforcement. A ban is a sort of enforcement.
I hope other industries around the world take notice and clean up their own shops on an emergency priority.
This disease is so horrible and it kills the youngest and hard working men of the working class. All for what. Cheaper versions of the pretty countertops we already have.
MARTHA STEWART: Quartz needs no sealing or polishing like granite or marble, and because of its durability, it will always remain glossy and smooth.
GREENFIELDBOYCE: But compared to granite or marble, quartz contains a lot more of the mineral silica. Silica dust can fly into the air when a slab of raw countertop material gets cut to order, and this dust can damage the lungs.
I’ve seen my share of silicosis details from mining museums I’ve visited, but I feel like an issue like this should have been corrected with more education and regulation versus outright banning...
I’ve seen my share of silicosis details from mining museums I’ve visited, but I feel like an issue like this should have been corrected with more education and regulation versus outright banning
For instance when miners would die back in the day, the drills were modified to use water that captured the silica dust before it got in the lungs and started causing damage. I honestly don’t know how effective such measures would be in this setting, but surely that along with a respirator (particularly one that provides positive pressure, filtered air) would be enough to keep stonemasons safe, right?
I get that the more expensive materials are less dangerous, but they’re also less obtainable to the less fortunate so this also means stonemasons would have less work. To me it just seems like the industry needed to be more realistic and transparent about the dangers associated with inadequate PPE while working with the engineered stone
I think it's just difficult to get people to do it right when it's not done at the factory. (There are small, independent contractors closer to the construction site.) Perhaps a larger business...
I think it's just difficult to get people to do it right when it's not done at the factory. (There are small, independent contractors closer to the construction site.)
Perhaps a larger business with many locations could provide better management.
You ever been to an oil field? PPE is synonymous with Liberal Environmentalist in some circles. The state weighed the risks of killing off the tradies while trying to convince them to just wear...
To me it just seems like the industry needed to be more realistic and transparent about the dangers associated with inadequate PPE while working with the engineered stone
You ever been to an oil field? PPE is synonymous with Liberal Environmentalist in some circles. The state weighed the risks of killing off the tradies while trying to convince them to just wear the filtered mask vs just banning it and I guess in this case they chose the ban.
Granite is still an option, and has been less expensive when I have compared it to quartz. The downside is that it requires sealing. That being said, it's possible that granite prices will...
Granite is still an option, and has been less expensive when I have compared it to quartz. The downside is that it requires sealing. That being said, it's possible that granite prices will increase with the increased demand that will come with a decrease in consumer choice.
Regulation and education are expensive. How many tax dollars should we divert from other areas so that some people can buy custom engineered stone countertops? There are plenty of alternative...
Regulation and education are expensive. How many tax dollars should we divert from other areas so that some people can buy custom engineered stone countertops? There are plenty of alternative materials that perform very well as countertops at a variety of price points. I'd much rather see regulation and education expenses go toward industries where there isn't a good range of alternatives.
Australia has become the first country to announce a ban on engineered stone following a surge in workers developing the lung disease silicosis.
Engineered stone will be banned in most states and territories from July 2024
The material can be found in thousands of Australian bathrooms and kitchens
Doctors and workers had called for the ban over health and safety concerns
Commonwealth, state, and territory workplace ministers unanimously agreed to implement a national ban on the product at a long-awaited meeting on Wednesday afternoon.
The ban will start on July 1, 2024 in most states and territories.
The world-first decision comes after hundreds of workers developed silicosis from working on engineered stone, a popular material mostly used for kitchen benches and bathroom vanities.
I thought the reason for the increase in silicosis is due to stonemasons not wearing PPE? Have the health and safety precautions meant to reduce exposure to RCS been shown to not be enough?
I think the issue has been enforcement. Lot of small-time contractors doing this work, probably not fully educated on the issue, probably assuming you need decades of exposure to possibly see any...
I think the issue has been enforcement. Lot of small-time contractors doing this work, probably not fully educated on the issue, probably assuming you need decades of exposure to possibly see any issues (like cigarette smoking).
I don't know that banning is the right call but I understand the logic.
Good.
Compliance with safety standards would have saved lives and made working on this material safe enough for the industry to flourish yes. But the industry didn't care. They waited for enforcement. A ban is a sort of enforcement.
I hope other industries around the world take notice and clean up their own shops on an emergency priority.
This disease is so horrible and it kills the youngest and hard working men of the working class. All for what. Cheaper versions of the pretty countertops we already have.
From NPR, in July, https://www.npr.org/2023/07/24/1189831430/stone-countertop-workers-are-getting-sick-and-dying-due-to-exposure-to-silica-du
I’ve seen my share of silicosis details from mining museums I’ve visited, but I feel like an issue like this should have been corrected with more education and regulation versus outright banning
For instance when miners would die back in the day, the drills were modified to use water that captured the silica dust before it got in the lungs and started causing damage. I honestly don’t know how effective such measures would be in this setting, but surely that along with a respirator (particularly one that provides positive pressure, filtered air) would be enough to keep stonemasons safe, right?
I get that the more expensive materials are less dangerous, but they’re also less obtainable to the less fortunate so this also means stonemasons would have less work. To me it just seems like the industry needed to be more realistic and transparent about the dangers associated with inadequate PPE while working with the engineered stone
I think it's just difficult to get people to do it right when it's not done at the factory. (There are small, independent contractors closer to the construction site.)
Perhaps a larger business with many locations could provide better management.
You ever been to an oil field? PPE is synonymous with Liberal Environmentalist in some circles. The state weighed the risks of killing off the tradies while trying to convince them to just wear the filtered mask vs just banning it and I guess in this case they chose the ban.
Granite is still an option, and has been less expensive when I have compared it to quartz. The downside is that it requires sealing. That being said, it's possible that granite prices will increase with the increased demand that will come with a decrease in consumer choice.
Regulation and education are expensive. How many tax dollars should we divert from other areas so that some people can buy custom engineered stone countertops? There are plenty of alternative materials that perform very well as countertops at a variety of price points. I'd much rather see regulation and education expenses go toward industries where there isn't a good range of alternatives.
From the article:
I thought the reason for the increase in silicosis is due to stonemasons not wearing PPE? Have the health and safety precautions meant to reduce exposure to RCS been shown to not be enough?
I think the issue has been enforcement. Lot of small-time contractors doing this work, probably not fully educated on the issue, probably assuming you need decades of exposure to possibly see any issues (like cigarette smoking).
I don't know that banning is the right call but I understand the logic.