Australia's workplace ministers have agreed to implement a national ban on engineered stone, over concerns its use has led to a surge in silicosis cases among workers.
Yes. Because tradies and their associated business owners simply can’t be fucked with using - or enforcing the use of - PPE.
They’re also often dicking around trimming pieces during the final installation on site where eg bulk extraction and filtering of dust is “difficult”. Not “impossible” , merely difficult, and we all know difficult costs money and time.
The industry was warned and didn’t do much in particular to sort themselves out, so here we are.
It was my understanding that silicosis can be prevented with proper adherence to safety standards and use of PPE. Is a flat out ban really necessary?
Yes. Because tradies and their associated business owners simply can’t be fucked with using - or enforcing the use of - PPE.
They’re also often dicking around trimming pieces during the final installation on site where eg bulk extraction and filtering of dust is “difficult”. Not “impossible” , merely difficult, and we all know difficult costs money and time.
The industry was warned and didn’t do much in particular to sort themselves out, so here we are.