On 13 December 2023, Commonwealth state and territory work health and safety ministers announced a ban on engineered stone.
This ban came into effect in Tasmania on 1 July 2024.
If you are a Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking (PCBU) that undertakes, or directs workers to carry out, work involving manufacturing, supplying, processing, or installing engineered stone benchtops, panels, and slabs, it is important you understand your responsibilities under the ban.
What is engineered stone?
Engineered stone is defined as an artificial product that:
- contains at least 1% crystalline silica as a weight/weight concentration, and
- is created by combining natural stone materials with other chemical constituents (such as water, resins, or pigments), and
- becomes hardened.
What is included in the ban
Any work involving the manufacture, supply, processing, or installation of engineered stone is banned, when it applies to:
- benchtops for example, those installed in kitchens, bathrooms, and outdoor surfaces
- panels for example, kitchen splashbacks or floor and wall tiles
- slabs for example, larger pieces of engineered stone that might need to be cut to fit a variety of different installation setting.
What is not included in the ban
The ban does not apply to other silica related materials such as:
- concrete and cement products
- bricks pavers and other similar blocks
- porcelain products*
- ceramic wall and floor tiles
- roof tiles
- grout, mortar, and render
- plasterboard
- engineered stone products with trace levels of crystalline silica (less than 1% by weight)
- sintered stone*.
*Porcelain products and sintered stone are excluded from the prohibition if the product does not contain resin.
Finished engineered stone products (such as jewellery, garden ornaments, sculptures, kitchen sinks) which do not require processing or modification are excluded from the ban.
The prohibition does not apply to natural stone benchtops, panels or slabs. For example, a granite benchtop is not prohibited.
Transition period
In Tasmania, there is a transition period for engineered stone contracts that were entered into before 31 December 2023 and include installation before 31 December 2024.
Types of engineered stone work | Ban requirements |
Manufacture, supply and install engineered stone panels, slabs and benchtops for contracts entered after 31 December 2023. | Permitted up to 30 June 2024 but only if worker is supplied with and using RPE and processing is controlled with:
|
Manufacture, supply and install engineered stone panels, slabs and benchtops for contracts entered before 31 December 2023. | Permitted up to 31 December 2024 but only if worker is supplied with and using RPE and processing is controlled with:
|
Repair, modify, remove and dispose of engineered stone that does not require processing. | Permitted. |
Repair, modify, remove and dispose of engineered stone that does require processing. | Permitted but only if worker is supplied with and using RPE and processing is controlled with:
|
Notifying WorkSafe: Working with legacy (already installed) engineered stone
If you are undertaking any removal, repair, minor modification, or disposal of legacy engineered stone that requires processing, you must notify WorkSafe Tasmania. Any work that involves processing of legacy engineered stone must be controlled.
Processing in relation to legacy engineered stone means using a power tool or other mechanical plant (for example a crusher) to crush, cut, grind, trim, sand, abrasive polish or drill the stone.
Examples of work with legacy engineered stone where notification is required include:
- a worker repairs a crack in an engineered stone benchtop installed in a kitchen. To repair the engineered stone, a worker needs to fill the crack with liquid resin and use power tools to level and re-polish the engineered stone.
- a worker creates a hole in a splashback to install a new power point. The worker uses a power drill to create the hole.
- a worker needs to use a power tool to remove a large, engineered stone bench top, so it can be disposed of.
You must notify WorkSafe Tasmania if you intend to carry out permitted work with legacy engineered stone which involves controlled processing.
Find out more about legacy stone and how to notify WorkSafe Tasmania.
Information for consumers
If you’re a consumer, it’s important to know engineered stone is safe once installed, so long as it remains undisturbed (that is, no work is being carried out to remove, repair or modify it).
There is no need to remove engineered stone from your home or workplace, as it does not pose health risks if left undisturbed.
It is important not to undertake DIY work with engineered stone benchtops, slabs or panels. Cutting, grinding, trimming, drilling, sanding or polishing can generate silica dust that can be harmful when inhaled. Contact a qualified tradesperson instead.
More information about the ban
Safe Work Australia has detailed information about the engineered stone ban. It answers questions for businesses that work with engineered stone, about previously installed engineered stone, and about imported engineered stone products.
Read more about the ban at Safe Work Australia.
Read more information about the ban at Australian Department of Employment and Workplace Relations.
Resources
Engineered stone ban: Safe Work Australia
Notifying WorkSafe Tasmania for legacy engineered stone
Silicosis crisis: Workers dying making kitchen benchtops: ABC 7:30 program This video emphasises the risks of working with engineered stone. Caution: This video may contain confronting content, and could be unsuitable for certain audiences. Viewer discretion is recommended.
Tasmania’s engineered stone ban now in force: Tasmanian Government