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submitted 9 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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[-] [email protected] 6 points 9 months ago

You are wrong to a degree, while the underlying issue is a lack of safe workplaces, engineered stone typically has a much higher rate of silicate (like 90 plus) compared to almost anything else

There are other types of engineered stone that are low in silicates

[-] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

Oh, so they differ substantially, didn't know that (but makes sense bcs of the variety they produce). I'm not anti-ban (the work itself doesn't seem like it's worth the end product anyway), I would have just expected more regulation (safety, or just a ban in crystalline silica perhaps) instead of an overall ban. But that's just the EU in me talking, a ban is at least much clearer & in this case quicker to get passed.

Edit: actually safe work Australia already drafted guidelines, I guess they didn't catch on

Workplace exposure standard for respirable crystalline silica: The eight-hour time weighted average workplace exposure standard (WES) for respirable crystalline silica (RCS) is 0.05 mg/m3. This means that your workers must not be exposed to levels of RCS greater than 0.05 mg/m3 over an eight hour working day, for a five day working week.

Edit2: EU does have a directive in place but it's not yet implemented into law (like a 'delegated regulation' or a demand to incorporate it in local laws) + its still evolving so no actual limit numbers (or a complete ban) yet. EU directives usually work in such a way that at first they gather industry knowledge & best practices (via mandated reporting) that they then implement into law (more or less strict depending on the end goal, but in administration sense compatible with the current industry capabilities - I'm actually proud of the efficiency & lifecycles of such a system).

this post was submitted on 13 Dec 2023
131 points (98.5% liked)

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