The ACT Government has introduced an Amendment Bill to Parliament to allow workers with silicosis to pursue lump sum compensation. The Bill, if passed, will add the deadly occupational lung disease to the list of conditions that attract lump sum payments in Schedule 1 of the Capital Territory’s Workers Compensation Act 1951.
“Currently, workers suffering from work-related silicosis are not entitled to statutory lump sum permanent impairment payments as a result of their silicosis,” the explanatory statement says.
Crystalline silica particles “are naked to the eye and if airborne and inhaled can lead to a range of respiratory diseases including silicosis”, it says.
“The seriousness of silicosis has been recognised on a national scale with all Australian jurisdictions amending work health and safety regulations to ban [crystalline silica-containing] engineered stone and provide stronger regulation of all materials containing crystalline silica to protect workers from exposure and subsequently developing silicosis.
“The Bill promotes the right to life by enhancing workers’ compensation entitlements to those who have suffered silicosis due to poor work conditions. This Bill establishes the inclusion of silicosis as an impairment, to enable workers to access permanent impairment benefits.”
