The elimination of silicosis in non-mining sectors still remains an obligation, said Department of Employment and Labour's Labour Policy and Industrial Relations (LP&IR) Acting Deputy Director General, Thembinkosi Mkalipi.

Mkalipi said South Africa, as a member of the international community and the International Labour Organization (ILO), had an obligation to help reduce workers' exposure to silicosis. He cautioned that literature still showed an increase in cases of silicosis. He said the focus is on priority sectors where workers are vulnerable.

He was speaking on Tuesday, 10 March 2026, in Kempton Park during a seminar on the release of research findings on: “Benchmark study on silicosis in non-mining sectors".

Silicosis is reported to be an irreversible, progressive occupational lung disease caused by inhaling crystalline silica dust, leading to inflammation, permanent lung scarring, and severe breathing difficulties. The disease is treated using medication and avoiding further exposure. Vulnerable to this fatal disease are mainly workers in construction, mining, and stone fabrication.

In order to determine the prevalence of silicosis, the Department of Employment and Labour commissioned the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), the National Institute for Occupational Health (NIOH), the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits University), and Wits Health Consortium (WHC) to conduct a study.

The study aimed to determine the prevalence (number of workers diagnosed with silicosis) of silicosis across industries from 2012 to 2018; establish the trends in the number of deaths from silica-related diseases per industry from 2012 to 2018 and to develop a strategy and occupational health programs that should be put in place in order to reduce exposure to respirable silica dust and to eliminate silicosis in South Africa by 2030.

The project was divided into three Work Packages, said Professor Nisha Naicker, head of Epidemiology and Surveillance at the National Institute of Occupational Health. Work Package one focused on prevalence assessment, guide prioritization and implementation of elimination strategies, and lastly focused on the creation of a toolbox of tools and methods for silicosis elimination.

The key results of work project 1 study are as follows:

• A sample of 225 workers participated in the study. A total of 178 workers had more than 10 years of work experience.
• The majority were from the brick-making sector (40%), followed by construction (34%).
• The age ranged from 24 to 65 years, with an average of 45.33 years.  
• The majority of the participants were male (81.78%). Participants with more than 10 years 178) had an average of 20.43 years of sector experience, with a range of 11 to 43 years. 
• None of the participants reported a history or diagnosis of silicosis.
• Current TB screening symptoms suggestive of TB were experienced by 12.44% of participants.
• Chest x-ray findings showed only one case of silicosis (prevalence of 0,5%). The participant was a 45-year-old male crusher operator from the mineral processing sector with 15 years of work experience in the sector. He was currently undergoing medical care. 
  
  Department of Employment and Labour's Inspection and Enforcement Services (IES) branch Deputy Director, Warren Mallon, said safeguarding the safety and health of workers was a fundamental right. Mallon said occupational accidents. Injuries and diseases have a significant human, social, and economic cost. He said the goal is to strive for the elimination of silicosis exposure.
  
  “The Department's National Programme for the Elimination of Silicosis was initiated in 2004," he said. This was followed by the training of inspectors. Mallon said back then, there was no baseline data on the prevalence of silicosis. He said when the programme was initiated, employers were required to submit biannual reports on exposure.
  
  “In terms of ILO Conventions and obligations, we are still on track to achieve the elimination of silicosis by 2030," he said. He further said the department's OHS strategy 2024–2029 has as its main path the route to zero injuries and diseases.
  
  The study(s) among them concluded that there is no single, simple, reliable method of data collection. It called for the enhancement of the diagnosis of Silicosis. It also recommended the improvement of reporting in terms of the COID Act and OHS Act, the development of a silicosis register, interrogation of the medical aid database, and targeted surveys.
  
  The study focused on construction, artificial stone, brick manufacturing, and pottery/ceramics sectors.
  
  Wits Professor of Health, David Rees, who focused on Work Package three, said the study focused on silica exposure measurements in 11 companies. Rees said the study showed that workers were at risk of silicosis in all industries except roof tile manufacturing. He warned that silicosis elimination was threatened by future silicosis cases.
  
  For media enquiries, please contact:
  
  Teboho Thejane
  
  Departmental Spokesperson
  
  082 697 0694/ teboho.thejane@labour.gov.za
  
  -ENDS-
  
  Issued by: Department of Employment and Labour
  
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