Australia to Ban Engineered Stone in 2024
CANBERRA, Australia – Engineered-stone use will be banned in Australia by the middle of next year, although details still need to be worked out.
The country’s workplace-safety officials voted unanimously on Dec. 13 to “prohibit the use supply and manufacture of all engineered stone, with the majority of jurisdictions to commence the prohibition from 1 July 2024.”
The officials agreed with workplace-safety agency Safe Work Australia’s recommendations and finding backing the ban on working with engineered-stone in the country.
The officials also noted that the country intends to bar imports of engineered stone “to provide an additional layer of enforcement and deterrence at the border.
As noted in Safe Work Australia’s report, Australia will allow some work on engineered stone installed prior to the ban. Health officials will also determine a “transition period” for fulfillment of work contracts made on or before Dec. 13.
Specifics on the “transition period” and several other key points, such as a licensing process for working with installed engineered stone, won’t be finalized until another meeting of the workplace officials in March.
The March meeting will also work to define exemptions for the prohibition, which the officials noted as “concrete and cement products; bricks, pavers and other similar blocks; porcelain products; ceramic wall and floor tiles; roof tiles; grout, mortar and render; and plasterboard.”
The officials also directed Safe Work Australia, along with workplace-safety regulators, to develop a process for assessing exemptions. The move appeared to leave a door open for future surface development, as the process “may allow future engineered stone products to be exempted from the ban, based on the provision of compelling evidence demonstrating these products can be used safely.”
The Australian ban is apparently prompting government action in neighboring New Zealand. The country’s chief workplace-relations and -safety official told broadcaster TVNZ in mid-December that the government “was currently preparing advice on this,” and likely “take into account the latest analysis and evidence from Australia.”
