Dust Diseases Registry to be established.
Draft legislation proposed by the federal government will establish a national Dust Diseases Registry for those impacted by respiratory conditions, as reported by the Sydney Morning Herald last week.
The dust diseases registry will collect data to identify and monitor workplace silicosis risks, and enable a nationally coordinated response to cases to better protect workers.
Further, the legislation requires diagnosing physicians to pass on information about the patient and their workplace conditions – with or without the patients consent. Failure to pass on this information to the registry can result in fines of $8250.
In the UK where the British government has had an occupational respiratory disease registry since 1988, it is estimated that approximately 13,000 people die from work related diseases whilst 133 die from work related accidents.
Without a registry, it is difficult to accurately trace the cause of occupational diseases and ensure prevention methods are adequately addressed.
The National Registry review
The legislation is expected to be introduced in the second half of 2023 after the Department of Health finishes its assessment of stakeholder feedback.
A National Registry Build Advisory Group had been established to provide advice during the development of the Registry to ensure it delivers the best possible client experience and delivers on its intended purposes.
The Advisory Group membership includes representatives from:
Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP)
Australian and New Zealand Society of Occupational Medicine Inc (ANZSOM)
Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand (TSANZ)
Australian Institute of Occupational Hygienists (AIOH)
Australasian Faculty of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (AFOEM)
Respiratory researchers
State and territory government agencies representing Health and Work Health and Safety.
The formation of a dust diseases registry was a recommendation from the National Dust Diseases Taskforce back in 2019, along with six other key actions to improve worker health.
The National Dust Disease Taskforce was formed when a trend emerged of new cases of accelerated silicosis in workers due to exposure to silica dust. Meaningful action needed to be taken after many cases were related to manufacturing and installing engineered stone benchtops, particularly in Queensland.
