NT WorkSafe
NT WorkSafe will visit 34 businesses in Darwin, Palmerston,Alice Springs, Katherine and Tennant Creek over the next three months tohighlight the risk of silica exposure to their workers.
Workers involved in cutting or polishing engineered ormanufactured stone at these businesses potentially have a medium to high riskof silica exposure.
NT WorkSafe has started this compliance campaign following anational spike in workers diagnosed with the fatal lung disease silicosis.
WorkSafe Inspectors will raise awareness in these businessesof silicosis and review the control measures in place to manage the risk ofsilica dust.
NT WorkSafe Director Operations Neil Burgess said workerscutting or polishing engineered or manufactured stone face the highest riskfrom silica exposure, however the risk could be reduced if appropriate controlmeasures were in place.
The engineered stone benchtop manufacturing industry in theNorthern Territory is small compared to the eastern states and there have beenno confirmed cases of silicosis in the Territory, said Mr Burgess.
Despite this, WorkSafe Inspectors will visit a number of atrisk businesses identified across the Territory over the coming weeks to ensurethe control measures are in place to protect Territory workers.
The majority of the identified businesses are involved inkitchen and bathroom renovations, or are stone suppliers, said Mr Burgess.
WorkSafe Inspectors will be issuing improvement and prohibitionnotices to businesses that dont have appropriate control measures.
There is also a legislative requirement for an employer toprovide health monitoring to their workers who may have been exposed to silica.
WorkSafe Inspectors will be checking if appropriate healthmonitoring has been provided to workers.
