Pneumoconiosis is lung disease that is caused by breathing in certain types of dust. Some examples of pneumoconiosis are:
- Aluminosis
- Asbestosis
- Byssinosis
- Coal workers’ pneumoconiosis, or ‘black lung’
- Hard metal pneumoconiosis, or hard metal lung disease
- Silicosis
- Talcosis
Other occupational lung diseases include:
- Work-related asthma
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Chronic bronchitis
More information about occupational lung diseases can be found in the report Occupational lung diseases in Australia 2006 - 2019.
Causes of occupational lung diseases
Occupational lung diseases are caused by respiratory hazards. Respiratory hazards can include hazardous dusts, gases, fumes, mists, microorganisms or vapours.
Some of the hazards that can cause occupational lung diseases are:
- air pollution
- airborne inorganic lead
- aluminium
- asbestos
- bushfire smoke
- carcinogens
- coal dust
- cotton dust
- dust of hard metals, such as tungsten, tungsten carbide and cobalt
- gases or fumes
- hazardous chemicals
- microorganisms
- pollen
- respirable crystalline silica
- talc dust
- wood dust
Workers can be exposed to these hazards during activities such as:
- construction
- excavation
- fabricating, processing, installing, maintaining or removing engineered stone products
- tunnelling, quarrying and mining
- use of inorganic pesticides and herbicides
- use of machinery or equipment that generates dust or fumes
- working with domesticated and wild animals
Prevention of occupational lung diseases
Under the model WHS laws, a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) has a duty to eliminate or manage the risk of occupational lung diseases by:
- Identifying the hazards and assess the risks
- Managing the risks of occupational lung disease
- Monitoring and reviewing of controls for occupational lung disease
A PCBU must organise and pay for health monitoring if there is a significant risk to the health of their workers because of exposure to hazardous chemicals at the workplace.
PCBUs must also organise and pay for air monitoring to determine the airborne concentration of hazardous chemicals if:
- they are not certain if you are exceeding the workplace exposure standard, or
- monitoring is necessary to find out if there is a risk to health.
Air monitoring might be needed to make sure that workers are not exposed to airborne concentrations of a hazardous chemicals above the workplace exposure standard.
Supporting information
- Occupational lung diseases in Australia 2006–2019 report
- The interactive safe work method statement (SWMS) tool provides information on preparing, using and reviewing SWMS for high risk construction work.
