Victoria will impose a ban on “uncontrolled” dry cutting of material containing crystalline silica and a compliance code for businesses involved with the dangerous substance.

The measures are part of a plan the Andrews Government unveiled last week.

More than 300 high-risk workplaces, particularly stonemason workshops, will be targeted in a compliance and enforcement blitz.

And the Government has asked WorkSafe Victoria to look at improving compensation access for workers with silicosis, a form of lung disease caused by exposure to silica dust. Workers in the artificial stone benchtop industry are particularly at risk.

WorkSafe received 28 claims for silica-related conditions last year, and 15 workers have died from the disease since 1985.

Law firm Maurice Blackburn has welcomed the raft of measures.

“We know how difficult it can be for those diagnosed with silicosis and other related diseases to navigate their loss of wages, pain and suffering, and medical costs,” Dust Diseases Senior Associate Sally Weir said.

“This can be a very difficult time for workers and their families, so it is important access to compensation is swift, so our clients can focus on their health and their families.”

Lung cancer and autoimmune diseases caused by silica exposure may be added to the list of proclaimed diseases for stonemasons and other workers dealing with engineered stone, pending the outcome of a WorkSafe review.

Victoria is pushing for a national silicosis strategy and wants Australia’s workplace silica exposure standard reduced from 0.1mg per cubic metre to 0.02mg over an eight-hour day.