Safe Work Australia welcomes engineered stone ban

Safe Work Australia has welcomed the decision by workplace safety ministers to ban engineered stone in Australia.

The safety agency says it will move with speed to implement the ban, adding that the prohibition will help improve health and safety in Australian workplaces.

“Workplace exposure to respirable crystalline silica has led to an unacceptable increase in the number of cases of silicosis and other silica-related diseases,” Safe Work Australia CEO, Marie Boland said.

“Expert analysis shows that silica dust from engineered stone poses unique hazards and there is no evidence that low silica engineered stone is safe to work with.”

Safe Work Australia had earlier recommended a prohibition on the use of all engineered stone in a report published in October.

Additional information is available on the  Safe Work Australia website.