SWA releases guidance to support engineered stone ban

Safe Work Australia has released guidance to help persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBUs) understand their work health and safety obligations regarding the engineered stone ban that has now come into effect.

The guidance provides information for PCBUs about the scope of the ban and their duties under the national notification framework to notify the WHS regulator before carrying out any permitted work with legacy engineered stone benchtops, panels and slabs. The guidance also outlines PCBUs’ duties to ensure the controlled processing of sintered stone, porcelain products and, where permitted, engineered stone.

The guidance also details the national exemption framework, including the process and requirements for seeking an exemption from the ban for a type of engineered stone where there is compelling evidence that the stone can be worked with safely.

Safe Work Australia has also updated the National Exemption Framework – Guide for applicants for exemptions and the National guide for working with crystalline silica and crystalline silica containing products, to reference the engineered stone ban.

To read the engineered stone prohibition guidance for PCBUs, click here. To access the Model form for notification of permitted work with legacy engineered stone, click here.

To learn more about the ban, including frequently asked questions, click here.

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