Safety and Health at Work

  • 제15권1호
  • /
  • Pages.96-101
  • /
  • 2024
  • /
  • 2093-7911(pISSN)
  • /
  • 2093-7997(eISSN)
산업안전보건연구원 (Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute, Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency)
권호 표지
DOI QR코드

DOI QR Code

Respirable Silica Dust Exposure of Migrant Workers Informing Regulatory Intervention in Engineered Stone Fabrication

  • 투고 : 2023.09.14
  • 심사 : 2024.01.22
  • 발행 : 2024.03.30
PDF 다운로드
⟨ 이전 논문 다음 논문 ⟩

초록

Background: Silicosis among workers who fabricate engineered stone products in micro or small-sized enterprises (MSEs) was reported from several countries. Workplace exposure data of these workers at high risk of exposure to respirable crystalline silica (RCS) dust are limited. Methods: We surveyed workers performing cutting, shaping and polishing tasks at 6 engineered stone fabricating MSEs in Sydney, Australia prior to regulatory intervention. Personal exposure to airborne RCS dust in 34 workers was measured, work practices were observed using a checklist and worker demography recorded. Results: Personal respirable dust measurements showed exposures above the Australian workplace exposure standard (WES) of 0.1 mg/m3 TWA-8 hours for RCS in 85% of workers who performed dry tasks and amongst 71% using water-fed tools. Dust exposure controls were inadequate with ineffective ventilation and inappropriate respiratory protection. All 34 workers sampled were identified as overseas-born migrants, mostly from three linguistic groups. Conclusions: Workplace exposure data from this survey showed that workers in engineered stone fabricating MSEs were exposed to RCS dust levels which may be associated with a high risk of developing silicosis. The survey findings were useful to inform a comprehensive regulatory intervention program involving diverse hazard communication tools and enforcing improved exposure controls. We conclude that modest occupational hygiene surveys in MSEs, with attention to workers' demographic factors can influence the effectiveness of intervention programs. Occupational health practitioners should address these potential determinants of hazardous exposures in their workplace surveys to prevent illness such as silicosis in vulnerable workers.

키워드

과제정보

The authors acknowledge the cooperation of the workers and operators of the workplaces where the hygiene survey was conducted. We gratefully appreciate the expert advice and technical support by Dr Martin Mazereeuw and Dr Akemi Ichikawa of TestSafe Chemical Analysis Branch.

참고문헌

  1. Parker J, Wagner GR. Silicosis in ILO Encyclopaedia of Occupational Safety and Health. Available from: www.iloencyclopaedia.org/part-i-47946/respiratory-system/10/silicosis.
  2. Chen S, Liu M, Xie F. Global and national burden and trends of mortality and disability-adjusted life years for silicosis, from 1990 to 2019: results from the Global Burden of Disease study 2019. BMC Pulm Med 2022;22:240.
  3. Australian Safety and Compensation Commission. Occupational Respiratory Disease in Australia; 2005. Canberra (Australia). 2005. ISBN 0 64232701 7.
  4. Matar E, Frankel A, McCowan Blake LK, Silverstone E, Johnson AR, Yates DH. Complicated silicosis resulting from occupational exposure to engineered stone products. Med J Aust 2017;206(9):385-6. https://doi.org/10.5694/mja16.00257
  5. Hoy RF, Baird T, Hammerschlag G, Hart D, Johnson AR, King P, Putt M, Yates DH. Artificial stone-associated silicosis: a rapidly emerging occupational lung disease. Occup Environ Med 2017;0:1-3.
  6. Wu N, Xue C, Yu S, Ye Q. Artificial stone-associated silicosis in China: a prospective comparison with natural stone-associated silicosis. Respirology 2019:1-5. Original Article.
  7. Mao L, Zhou S, Chen Z, Shi J, Bian L, Jun W. Investigation of silicosis caused by agglomerated quartz stone processing. Respirology 2019;24(Suppl. 2):4-97. https://doi.org/10.1111/resp.13699_49
  8. Rose C, Heinzerling A, Patel K, Sack C, Wolff J, Zell-Baran L, Weissman D, Hall E, Sooriash R, McCarthy RB, Bojes H, Korotzer B, Flattery J, Weinberg JL, Potocko J, Jones KD, Reeb-Whitaker CK, Reul NK, LaSee CR, Materna BL, Raghu G, Harrison R. Severe silicosis in engineered stone fabrication workers e California, Colorado, Texas and Washington, 2017-2019. MMWR 2019;68:38.
  9. Martinez C, Prieto A, Garcia L, Quero A, Gonzalez S, Casan P. Silicosis: a disease with an active present. Arch Bronconeumol 2010;46(2):97-100. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1579-2129(10)70022-7
  10. Kramer MR, Blanc PD, Fireman E, Amital A, Guber A, Rhahman NA, Shitrit D. Artificial stone silicosis: disease resurgence among artificial stone workers. Chest 2012;142(2):419-24. https://doi.org/10.1378/chest.11-1321
  11. Global Countertops Market report. Global demand for countertops projected to rise 2.3% annually through 2021 to nearly 500 million m2. Reported in, www.Stone-Ideas.com 2017. [Accessed 15 January 2021];2017.
  12. Glass DC, Dimitriadis C, Hansen J, Hoy RF, Hore-Lacy F, Sim MR. Silica exposure estimates in artificial stone benchtop fabrication and adverse respiratory outcomes. Ann Work Expo Health 2021:1-9.
  13. Phillips ML, Johnson DL, Johnson AC. Determinants of respirable silica exposure in stone countertop fabrication: a preliminary study. J Occup Environ Hyg 2013;10(7):368-73. https://doi.org/10.1080/15459624.2013.789706
  14. Caesarstone Australia Pty Ltd. Material safety data sheet. Product name Caesarstone; 2008.
  15. European Agency for Safety and Health at Work. Context and arrangements for occupational safety and health in micro and small enterprises in the EU-SESAME project; 2018.
  16. Schenker MB. A global perspective of migration and occupational health. Am J Ind Med 2010;53:329-37. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajim.20834
  17. Harrison R. Severe silicosis in engineered stone fabrication workers e US Perspectives. Berkley: Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health webinar, University of California; 2019.
  18. Ahonen EQ, Benavides FG, Benach J. Immigrant populations, work and health e a systematic literature review. Scand J Work Environ Health 2007;33(2):96-104. https://doi.org/10.5271/sjweh.1112
  19. SafeWork NSW. Silica dashboard. Available at: https://www.nsw.gov.au/customer-service/publications-and-reports/silica-dashboard 2021. [Accessed 20 January 2021]; 2021.
  20. SafeWork NSW. Crystalline silica. Accessed at, https://www.safework.nsw.gov.au/hazards-a-z/hazardous-chemical/priority-chemicals/crystalline-silica.
  21. Kreitals N, Weller M, Nand A. Industry change in the NSW Manufactured Stone Benchtop Industry e SafeWork NSW's Compliance and Awareness program. In: Proc. AIOH 2021 Annual Conference, Sydney, Australia 2021.
  22. Hasle P. Between a Rock and a Hard Place e the small business dilemmas in the control of occupational health and safety. In: Keynote presentation at Understanding Small Enterprises (USE 2017) Symposium, Denver, Colorado, USA 2017.
  23. Seixas N. Editorial. A new era for occupational hygiene. Ann Work Expo Health 2020;64(9):913-4. https://doi.org/10.1093/annweh/wxaa096