Several everyday construction exposures are recognised causes of cancer, and the danger is that they cause no pain at the time. The Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA) and the Department of Labour treat silica dust, asbestos fibres, UV radiation, diesel exhaust and wood dust as occupational carcinogens relevant to trade work. The law requires a risk assessment before exposure, proper respiratory protection and medical surveillance, and the resulting cancers are compensable under COIDA as occupational diseases.
The main hazards in SA construction
- Silica dust from cutting, drilling or grinding concrete, brick and stone, linked to lung cancer and silicosis.
- Asbestos fibres in older buildings (pre-2008), pipe lagging and roof sheets, linked to mesothelioma and cancers of the lung, larynx, ovary and stomach.
- UV radiation from sunlight on all outdoor work, linked to skin cancers (basal cell, squamous cell and melanoma). The detail is in sun, heat and working outdoors.
- Diesel engine exhaust from working on or near diesel plant, generators and trucks, linked to lung and bladder cancer.
- Wood dust from carpentry, joinery and formwork, linked to nasopharyngeal and sinonasal cancers.
Protective duties, your employer's and yours
Under the OHSA and its Asbestos Abatement Regulations and Hazardous Chemical Substances Regulations:
- A risk assessment must be done before any work that may expose workers to these agents.
- Workers must be given appropriate respiratory protective equipment (RPE): dust masks and P3 respirators for silica, full-face powered air-purifying respirators for asbestos abatement.
- Medical surveillance, such as lung function tests and chest X-rays, is required for ongoing silica or asbestos exposure.
- Asbestos abatement can only be done by a contractor holding an OHSA asbestos licence. Never break, sand or drill material you suspect contains asbestos without testing it first.
A practical rule on site: if you do not know whether an old ceiling, pipe lagging or roof sheet contains asbestos, treat it as if it does until it is tested, and do not create dust.
The compensation route
Occupational cancers are compensable under COIDA (the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act 130 of 1993) as occupational diseases. The process mirrors any occupational disease claim: a medical diagnosis, then a WCL4 from the doctor and a WCL2 from the employer, submitted to the Compensation Fund at cfonline.labour.gov.za.
For asbestos-related disease specifically, the Asbestos Relief Trust and related funds provide compensation for certain legacy asbestos exposures, administered separately from the Compensation Fund. If your work history includes old asbestos exposure, ask about these trusts as well as a COIDA claim.
The list of recognised carcinogens is revised from time to time by the Department of Labour, and the CANSA occupational cancer fact sheet that underpins much of this is dated, so check the Government Gazette and the NIOH at www.nioh.ac.za for current guidance rather than treating any single list as final.
Common mistakes
- Dry-cutting silica. Cutting concrete or stone dry instead of using water suppression or on-tool extraction is one of the biggest avoidable silica exposures.
- Disturbing suspected asbestos. Drilling or sanding an unknown old material without testing it first is both dangerous and an offence; only a licensed contractor may do abatement.
- Skipping medical surveillance. Lung function tests and X-rays are how exposure is tracked and how a future claim is proven.
- Forgetting the slow killers. Diesel exhaust and wood dust rarely get respirators on site, yet both are recognised carcinogens.
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