Will silicosis compensation costs rise despite Victoria's engineered stone ban?

Monash University researchers have explored whether silicosis compensation costs are set to continue rising in Victoria despite the engineered stone ban. Led by the Monash Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health’s Dr Dee Tomic — within the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at Monash University — the study analysed all compensation claims for silicosis lodged in Victoria between 2019 and 2024.

Drawing on data from WorkSafe Victoria, the study projected the cost of claims to 2031. Published in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine, the study is said to be the first internationally to quantify the workers compensation costs of silicosis, and found that the economic burden of silicosis — a progressive and often fatal lung disease — among Victorian workers is likely to escalate over the coming years.

“Silicosis has re-emerged as one of the most serious occupational diseases of our time,” Tomic said. “Our analysis shows that even with the world-first Australian ban on artificial stone, costs will continue to rise for years to come, because many workers have already been exposed and remain at risk of developing this preventable but irreversible disease.”

The study found there were 663 silicosis-related compensation claims made by 356 Victorian male workers aged 15–74 years between 2019 and 2024 and that costs of silicosis-related claims totalled $111.8 million from 2019–2024, having grown from $5.1 million in 2019 to $21.9 million in 2024. Furthermore, Monash University estimates that by 2031 annual compensation payments are projected to hit $29.9 million, with the greatest share related to claims among workers aged 35–44 years.

Around 30% of all costs were common law (fault-based) claims, but for workers aged 15–24 years, these payouts made up more than 70% of costs. Comprising the largest share of costs was payments for lost earnings (35.8%). This was followed by common law payments at 30.1%. Hospital costs and other medical costs (including rehabilitation) were found to be relatively small — at 0.6% and 4.5% respectively.

“Australia is the first country in the world to ban artificial stone, but it continues to be used all around the world, with thousands of workers exposed to high levels of silica dust and at risk of developing silicosis,” Tomic said. “Our study shows the immense and long-term financial impact that governments, insurers, employers and health systems face when regulation lags behind science. The human and economic costs are both foreseeable and preventable.”

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