The icare Lung Health Mobile Clinic has rolled into Liverpool ahead of National SafeWork month screening workers across Sydney’s south-west.
Workers across a range of industries including construction, manufacturing and waste management are being screened over a 12-day period to ensure the early detection and treatment of dust diseases like asbestosis, silicosis and mesothelioma.
Since its $2.5M upgrade in February 2025, the Lung Bus has screened 4,069 workers across NSW with new icare data highlighting that the Lung Bus is critical in helping with the early detection of deadly dust diseases.
The data shows 96% of workers were screened for the first time with one in 10 returning an abnormal or incidental finding.
Whilst only 2% of those were silica related findings, 8% represented incidental findings which could include respiratory conditions or cardiovascular findings which may not have been picked up if workers had not been screened.
The Lung Bus provides workers with free screening checks across regional, rural and metropolitan NSW and aims to remove barriers including cost and travel time.
On board the Lung Bus is an x-ray room, advanced lung function testing equipment and specialists in lung and respiratory health who travel the length and breadth of the country ensuring workers across the state have access to world class screening.
With National Safe Work Month kicking off on 1 October, businesses are encouraged to register their workers on the mandatory SafeWork Silica Worker Register and to book workers in for a screening.
19,507 workers across more than 860 businesses have been registered since the Silica Worker Register was launched on 1 October 2025.
The Lung Bus and the Silica Worker Register are important steps in promoting regular screening and early detection of potentially life-changing hazards in the workplace.
The Register is an online portal for businesses to enter details for workers that process high-risk crystalline silica substances (CSS).
SafeWork NSW uses the data to monitor compliance with work health and safety obligations. It is mandatory for businesses who have workers at risk of respirable crystalline silica exposures to have access to health monitoring.
Eliminating the risks associated with silica is a high priority for the Minns Labor Government and the Lung Bus is one of several measures which have been introduced to reduce the risks of working with CSS in NSW.
These include:
- Strengthening workplace safety through a Silica Worker Register (SWR) which monitors and tracks the health of at-risk workers.
- Leading the ban on engineered stone benchtops, panels and slabs.
- Establishing the Tunnelling Dust Safety Taskforce to help address silica related health risks for workers in tunnelling projects.
- Establishing a dedicated silica unit within SafeWork NSW which includes a Silica Compliance Team to enforce strengthened regulations, including proactive visits to sites conducting high risk CSS processing.
- Allocating $5 million in critical funding to the Asbestos and Dust Diseases Research Institute (ADDRI) for action against silicosis to support individuals and their families navigating the health risks associated with exposure to silica dust.
- Introducing a binding WHS code of practice for working with crystalline silica.
Minister for Workplace Health and Safety Sophie Cotsis said:
“This new data tells us that Lung Bus is critical in the early detection of these deadly dust diseases and that a screening check could save your life.
“The Lung Bus removes barriers like cost and travel time ensuring workers across NSW have access to screenings that could save their life.
“We know that removing barriers like time and cost and providing the opportunity for workers to be screened with their workmates results in more workers being screened which leads to earlier detection.
“National SafeWork Month is a timely reminder for businesses with workforces exposed to hazardous dusts like Respirable Crystalline Silica, to book their workers in for a screening. Every worker deserves to come home safe at the end of the day.”
Member for Liverpool Charishma Kaliyanda said:
“Southwest Sydney has a high number of workers across trades including construction and manufacturing so it’s great to have the Lung Bus in Liverpool for almost two weeks providing free screenings for workers.
“Although workers can be screened in Sydney CBD, having the Lung Bus here in Liverpool removes the time and cost to travel to the city, ensuring as many workers as possible across southwest Sydney can be screened in an environment where they can encourage each other to undertake vital health checks.”
icare Group Executive of General Insurance and Care, Sarah Johnson said:
“It’s easy for many to deprioritise their health, especially when work, family and travel commitments can get in the way.
“The Mobile Clinic is helping remove these barriers by bringing lung health checks closer to where people live and work. Don’t wait for symptoms to appear and book your appointment today.”
“Since its upgrade in February 2025, icare’s Mobile Clinic has completed 408 screening days across NSW, supported by innovations including digital chest X-ray technology for precise and reliable first instance imaging and enhanced spirometry (lung function) testing equipment to evaluate breathing capacity and respiratory performance.
Remaining 2026 Mobile Clinic stops
Bookings are still open for the remaining Mobile Clinic stops for the year for the following destinations:
- October: Greater Sydney, Newcastle
- November: Central Coast
- December: Central Coast
What to expect during a Mobile Clinic lung screening:
- Lung health checks are painless and take approximately 30 minutes. The process includes:
- Chest X-ray by thoracic radiologists to obtain baseline images or detect abnormalities.
- Lung function testing to assess respiratory performance.
- Consultation with experienced medical professional, who gathers key information about dust exposure and provides tailored advice.
- Referral for CT scan, if required, to get a better image of the chest and lungs.
- All results reviewed by experienced specialists.
