Industries · Stone and benchtop work
Silica Health Monitoring for Stone and Benchtop Workers
Stonemasons, benchtop installers and anyone cutting, grinding or polishing stone can breathe in respirable crystalline silica. ILOXAUS brings onsite ILO chest X-rays to your workshop or job site, with every X-ray classified by a NIOSH-certified B Reader radiologist.
Engineered stone is banned, but the silica risk has not gone
Australia prohibited the manufacture, supply, processing and installation of engineered stone benchtops, panels and slabs from 1 July 2024. Removing, repairing, minimally modifying and disposing of engineered stone that is already installed is still permitted, with strict dust controls and respiratory protection. Natural stone such as granite, marble and sandstone also contains crystalline silica, so fabrication and installation work continues to expose workers.
Many workers in this industry were exposed before the ban came in. Regular health monitoring is how silica-related lung disease is picked up early, and screening the whole workshop in one visit keeps it on schedule.
Stone work we screen
- Benchtop fabrication and installation workshops
- Engineered stone removal, repair and minor modification
- Natural stone masonry, including granite, marble and sandstone
- Monumental masons and memorial workshops
- Kitchen and bathroom renovation and strip-out crews
- Tile, terrazzo and stone flooring work
- Stone restoration and heritage masonry
Where we screen stone workers
Sites off the road network are covered by our Flight Ready unit, which travels by air with our team for remote, offshore and FIFO work.
NIOSH-certified B Reader · ILO classification
ILO classification by a NIOSH-certified B Reader
An image on its own is not a health monitoring record. Every chest X-ray we take is read and classified against the ILO International Classification of Radiographs of Pneumoconioses by a NIOSH-certified B Reader radiologist, so the result is consistent and defensible for your records, for regulators and for your workers. Single ILO reads and dual reads with adjudication are both available.
How a workshop screening visit runs
01
Book a visit
Send us your workshop or site location, crew size and preferred window, and we scope access.
02
We come to you
The unit mobilises to your workshop or job site by road, or flies in where a truck cannot reach.
03
Screen on site
Chest X-rays are taken on location, worker by worker, between tasks rather than off site.
04
ILO-classified results
A NIOSH-certified B Reader classifies each X-ray and results are reported to you and your workers.
Health monitoring duties for silica work
Under the model WHS Regulations, crystalline silica is a hazardous chemical that needs health monitoring where a worker’s exposure is a significant risk to their health. Safe Work Australia’s health monitoring guide for crystalline silica lists a work and medical history, exposure records, a standardised respiratory questionnaire, lung function testing and a full PA chest X-ray, all supervised by a registered medical practitioner. It also says high-resolution CT should be considered for higher-risk work such as composite stone.
Permitted engineered stone work must be notified to the regulator before it starts in NSW, Queensland and South Australia, and in Victoria it is treated as high risk crystalline silica work that needs a hazard control statement. In NSW, workers doing high risk crystalline silica processing must also be listed on the Silica Worker Register within 28 days. We supply the ILO-classified chest X-ray component on site; confirm your full obligations with your regulator or occupational physician.
Frequently asked questions
Is engineered stone work still allowed?
Only limited work. Since 1 July 2024 you cannot make, supply, process or install engineered stone benchtops, panels or slabs. Removal, repair, minor modification and disposal of engineered stone that is already installed are still allowed, with dust controls and respiratory protection in place.
Do natural stone workers need health monitoring too?
Natural stone such as granite and sandstone also contains crystalline silica. Where a worker’s exposure is a significant risk to their health, the business must provide health monitoring. Your occupational physician can advise on what that looks like for your team.
Who reads and classifies the X-rays?
Every X-ray is classified against the ILO International Classification of Radiographs of Pneumoconioses by a NIOSH-certified B Reader radiologist. You can choose a single ILO read, or a dual read with adjudication for an added layer of certainty.
Do you also do CT scans or lung function tests?
We provide the onsite chest X-ray and its ILO-classified report. Lung function testing, any CT imaging and the medical assessment are arranged through your supervising doctor, and our report forms the imaging part of the record.
Can you screen our whole workshop in one visit?
Usually, yes. Imaging takes a few minutes per worker, so we can screen the full crew in one visit and work around your production schedule.
How do we get the results?
Once each X-ray has been classified we report back to you and your workers, so the result can go straight into your health monitoring records.
Book silica screening for your stone workers
Send through your workshop or site location and approximate crew size and we will come back with availability and a written quote.
Or email booking@iloxaus.au