Silicosis Prevention: Beyond Materials Bans

In 2023, big media began to shine a spotlight on a 40-year problem. Silicosis, caused by crystalline silica.

The deadly disease had finally made it into the headlines. Newspapers were full of stories featuring stonemasons, laborers and others working with silica-rich materials; many of whom suffer from the illness. Engineered stone, the material of choice, was heavily blamed. Talk of regulating usage spread across the country. Yet, little is being said about the environment in which these materials are cut in.

“If you ban Caesarstone, the guys are still going to get silicosis from granite or quartzite, which has a silica content of 90%,” says Daniel Zovko, Director of Pacific Stone.

Daniel is well aware of the dangers of silicosis. Running what is arguably Australia’s most advanced Stone factory, Daniel and partner Ante have invested their time, money, and energy into creating an environment that is safe for employees to operate in. These measures range from operating high-end machinery to regular health checks, which the owners are more than happy to pay for.

“It costs us $800 per staff member, but that’s a small cost. It’s better to spend $30,000 on preventative health checks than getting a product banned. It’s a joke,” says Daniel.

The ideal setup for silicosis prevention

The Pacific Stone team is serious about creating a space where the air is clear. Their well-ventilated factory is fitted with advanced CNC machines in cutting cells, cleaned daily according to stringent  standards. Several of the machines – a CMS Smartline, Easyline, and Speed TR – were ordered through us; and we arranged to have them custom-painted blue, as per Daniel’s request.

Why?

Because the dust particles show up vividly against a cobalt-blue background. That’s the lengths to which this dedicated Director goes to.

There is sound logic behind taking these measures. With a nation-wide shortage of skilled labor, firms simply can’t afford to expose staff to dust. The potential risks are enough to deter new recruits from taking on the profession – unless the factory is fitted with the latest equipment.

“That’s another aspect why we went to the Speed CNC Working Centre. SafeWork was coming to our factory trying to minimize dust. We invested in this machine to minimize manual grinding. We have been able to minimize 95% of the dry grinding. Everything gets done with water on the machine, which motivates the employees to come to work because they know there’s minimal dust. A lot of employees get scared to go to work because they feel like the environment isn’t safe. When you have machines in place, they feel like it’s a healthier environment to work in”, says Paul Arrage, Director of SP Stone.

One wise investment leads to another

As a young boy, Paul watched his father craft benchtops by hand. Once he stepped in as Director, he decided things had to change. After trialing several automated options, Paul settled on two key investments – the CMS Kosmos bridge saw and the Speed CNC. The advanced duo has made a massive impact on their productivity, compressing what used to take 3-4 days to just 2-3 hours. More importantly, the machines have minimized operator contact with dust in the workshop – both because of the ample amounts of water used, and because little is asked of operators. No tool changing, measuring, or greasing is needed. Staff simply load the piece, run the program, and unload once the job is done.

For many shops, a machinery upgrade like SP Stone’s would make a massive difference. Dominik Holfter, our Stone, Glass, and Tooling expert, has helped our customers get their dry cutting down through machinery – but says there’s room for even greater improvements.

“In Australia, we’ve received a lot of negative media about engineered stone and dust in the workshop. One way to eliminate the dust in the workshop is by having clean water. Obviously, you need clean water for certain parts of the machine, but also the other water used in the workshop needs to be free of particles.Otherwise, you clean the workshop with dirty water and when it dries the dust is back in the factory. Cleaning with clean water just makes sense’, he says.

To help local factories achieve this, we import a range of highly efficient and compact clarifiers from Italian experts Italmecc. The Italmecc Blucomb is one of the firm’s most high-tech water clarifiers, using lamellar packs to clean more water on a smaller footprint. Being integrated with a Filter Press, it has the ability to compress sludge into bricks that can easily be ejected. This ensures that clean water cycles through the factory, so that no residual dust is kicked up. Once the shop is hosed down for the day, it stays clean. Workers start a new day knowing they’ve done their part to eliminate dust and danger.

In an ideal world, every Stone shop in Australia would make this a common practice. Staff would wear power respirators and have regular health checks to ensure they stay safe. The model factory would be equipped with state-of-the-art automated machinery, with a water clarifier, waterjet, saw, or CNC – or all of the above.

So, what’s holding shop owners back from making the investment? For many, it’s not lack of funds or limited floor space. It’s the lack of quality on-shore service. Luckily for Paul, Daniel, and other Innovync customers, they can rest easy knowing their investments are in good hands.

“Innovyc’s service was guaranteed. I’ve asked a lot of stonemasons around that had the machine, they were very happy with the service. When we got the Kosmos, they guided us every step of the way. When we got the Speed installed, I was on the phone with Dominik at 11pm at night, right before Christmas,” says Paul.

With our signature blend of exceptional service, advanced European technology, and technical know-how, we make it easy to transition to a safer, cleaner space. NAre you ready to make this your reality?

There’s nothing stopping you from testing the waters. Share your questions and concerns with us with the knowledge that you have no obligations at any of our consultations – we’re here to help!