26 March 2024
On Friday 22 March 2024, Work Health and Safety and Workplace Relations Ministers from states and territories around the country agreed to prohibit the use, supply and manufacture of all engineered stone from 1 July 2024 under federal WHS laws.
Engineered stone definition & exclusions
It was determined that the definition of engineered stone (“an artificial product that contains crystalline silica; and is created by combining natural stone materials with other chemical constituents such as water, resins or pigments; and undergoes a process to become hardened”) will be limited to engineered stone benchtops, panels and slabs.
It was also agreed that all sintered stone and porcelain products (including benchtops, panels and slabs) will be excluded from the prohibition, as are other building products such as bricks, pavers and other similar blocks, concrete and cement products, ceramic wall and floor tiles, roof tiles, plasterboard, and grout, mortar and render, as well as natural stone.
Transitional arrangements
The majority of Ministers agreed that transitional arrangements could be put in place for contracts entered into prior to 31 December 2023; however, we are waiting confirmation from the Queensland Government as to whether they will implement such transitional arrangements.
Don’t forget, while the ban contains some exclusions, if you work with silica-containing products including natural stone, you must apply all safety measures, including those outlined in the Managing respirable crystalline silica dust exposure in construction and manufacturing of construction elements Code of Practice 2022 and, where applicable, the Managing respirable crystalline silica dust exposure in the stone benchtop industry Code of Practice 2019.
More information
We’ll keep you posted as soon as confirmation on how the ban will be implemented in Queensland is received from the state government. In the meantime, you can read more about silica and risk assessments.
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