Tunnelling
Health risks, mitigation and management
Kate Cole OAM FAIOH
Certified Occupational Hygienist
Beneath the surface: the health risks of tunnelling work
This presentation explores the occupational health risks associated with tunnelling work, with a focus on exposure to respirable crystalline silica. It will examine current evidence, exposure trends across tunnelling methods and work groups, and the potential future burden of silica-related disease.
Learning Objectives:
- Identify the main work-related diseases associated with tunnelling
- Describe how common tunnel construction methods influence exposure to respirable crystalline silica and which work groups are at greater risk
- Summarise the evidence on silica-related disease in tunnelling and trends in respirable crystalline silica exposure.
Catherine Jones
Radiologist
Tunnel workers and how to image their lungs
This talk outlines the current recommendations for how to screen and monitor former and current tunnel workers for occupational lung disease. Various strategies for screening are discussed.
Learning Objectives:
- To recognize the high risk features on chest radiographs and high resolution CT chest studies in tunnel workers
- To understand the strengths and weaknesses of each modality
- To understand the importance of occupational history details in image interpretation
