Tell Safe Work Australia to Implement a Safe Silica Standard
Hundreds of workers across the country are being exposed to dangerous levels of silica dust every day. It is time Safe Work Australia created a safer silica exposure standard for Australian workers.
Sign the petition to help get our exposure standard in line with the rest of the world: https://www.megaphone.org.au/petitions/implement-a-safe-silica-standard
Why is this important?
Silica dust is present in many common building materials. Gravel, sand and newly developed compressed stone materials like caesarstone all contain silica. It’s all around us.
Along with scleroderma, exposure to silica has been linked to other diseases, including, autoimmune diseases, silicosis, chronic renal disease and even lung cancer.
When a person inhales fine silica dust after it’s been cut or ground, it makes its way into your lungs, scarring and damaging them irreversibly. The most terrifying part of these diseases is the disease can lay dormant in your lungs, showing no signs of ill health, until years after exposure.
In the past year in Victoria, there have been 13 silicosis claims by stonemasons, but the reality could be even worse, with many not even being aware they have been exposed to silica dust, with some symptoms not showing until years after the initial exposure.
Sign the petition to help get our exposure standard in line with the rest of the world. Demand our exposure standard be upgraded to 0.025mg/m³, matching America’s exposure standard, and keeping up to date with the state of knowledge.
