Safe Work Australia publish new report on Occupational Lung Disease

As occupational lung diseases continue to be a major health concern for key industries, KINNECT welcomes Safe Work Australia’s new report on occupational lung disease. 

The Occupational lung diseases in Australia 2006-2019 report, has highlighted how occupational lung disease continues to be a substantial contributor to the burden of lung disease in Australia. 

The report identified those industries and occupations where workers may be at risk of developing an occupational lung disease. These include the construction, mining and quarrying industries, and those working with engineered stone. 

While worker’s compensation claims for asbestos and work-related asthma have more recently declined, the report highlighted substantial increases in: 

• pneumoconiosis, especially coal workers pneumoconiosis, and 

• silicosis from working with engineered stone 

 Establishing periodic monitoring for employees in these industries is an important preventative measure to ensure employers are meeting their duty of care to keep workers healthy, safe and productive.  

KINNECT have been working closely with our clients across these industries to manage risk to employees through health monitoring and surveillance programs with an emphasis on prevention as well as early intervention. 

Technology is playing an important role. KINNECT has developed our Carelever Monitor platform to fully automate the process of periodic monitoring and ensure it aligns with respective state and national guidelines.   

Carelever Monitor has been built with technology that allows it to compare new medical data with previous medical data and identify significant changes in an employee’s health as per relevant legislation.  

This function ensures that employees are appropriately monitored and that early intervention and investigations can occur should a significant change be identified in an employee’s health. 

While the report noted an increase in the understanding of the role of occupational exposure and the risk of developing coal workers pneumoconiosis, it also noted that further efforts are needed to tackle the incidence of occupational lung disease. 

The report summarised that: 

• Further research is needed to identify incidence patterns of occupational lung diseases in high risk industries and occupations. 
• Additional data collection and the thorough application of all data sources will assist in providing a comprehensive national perspective on occupational lung diseases. 

Findings from the report will inform the implementation of Safe Work Australia’s occupational lung diseases work plan. 

Find out more

For more information, visit the Safe Work Australia website to view and download the report: 

https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/doc/occupational-lung-diseases-australia-2006-2019 

To find out more about KINNECT’s health surveillance services contact us on 1300 546 632.