Nation-leading clinic helps hundreds with silicosis

The dedicated occupational respiratory clinic at The Alfred in Melbourne was launched in July 2021 to provide affected workers with a health outcome and treatment plan.

Workers in the stonemasonry and construction industries are increasingly at risk of silicosis, an incurable lung disease, because they work with products containing high silica levels.

Some 621 people have gone through the Melbourne service since it started.

The clinic will remain open for another three years to ensure more workers are treated and supported, WorkSafe Minister Danny Pearson said.

"Early intervention is vitally important to be able to make sure we get the right treatment in place," he said on Friday.

"It's also about making sure we are in a position to potentially get more evidence to start doing clinical trials down the track."

Glenn Turner worked in stonemasonry for 16 years before he was diagnosed with silicosis.

"It really tipped my world upside down," he said.

"My mental health has really taken a decline - so focusing on trying to get not just my lung capacity and everything improved, but also my mental health."

Mr Turner has been a patient at the respiratory clinic, getting regular check-ups, chest physiotherapy and other treatments.

He said being diagnosed at the early stages of the disease was life-changing.

"If I hadn't been involved, I'd probably still be in the trade and just have the silicosis growing and getting worse," Mr Turner said.

The clinic was a crucial part of helping hundreds of workers getting their diagnosis, WorkSafe health and safety director Narelle Beer said.

"It's a one-stop shop," she told reporters.

"It provides a remarkable opportunity for workers to come and get tested, and have everything done in one day."

There have been calls for a nationwide ban on engineered stone benchtops to protect workers from silicosis.

At its national conference on Friday, Labor Party members voted to make eradicating silica dust part of its platform.

But it will up to the federal government to decide how to implement changes.

CFMEU national secretary Zach Smith described Friday's motion as a win for construction and stonemason workers.

"Make no mistake, engineered stone is the next asbestos and we need to get it banned urgently in this country," he said in a statement.

"I want to thank delegates to the ALP national conference for voting to include this ban on harmful engineered stone products in the ALP national platform."

The CFMEU has pledged to outlaw silica product on its construction sites from July next year.

Safe Work Australia is looking at what sort of silica-based products would need to be banned and how it would be enforced.

A national registry will also be established for workplace respiratory diseases.

Australian Associated Press