Engineered Stone Ban Commences July 1 2024

Engineered Stone - What is prohibited?

From 1 July 2024, work involving manufacturing, supply, processing or installation of engineered stone benchtops, panels or slabs will be banned except for some work on legacy stone.

Engineered stone includes an artificial product:

• Containing 1% or more crystalline silica, and

• Is created by combining natural stone with other chemicals like, resins, pigments or water, and

• Becomes hardened

Products that are not engineered stone include:

• Concrete or cement product;

• Brick, paver or other similar block;

• Ceramic wall or floor tile;

• Porcelain product that does not contain resin;

• Sintered stone product that does not contain resin;

• Roof tile;

• Grout, mortar or render; and

• Plasterboard

The ban also applies to performing an engineered stone process with benchtops, panels or slabs. An engineered stone process means any process that generates dust from these engineered stone products is banned.

Is work performed with engineered stone already installed, made or supplied exempt?

Yes. Any legacy engineered stone benchtops, panels or slabs, installed before the ban can still be worked on for the limited purposes of:

• repairs, minor modifications, removal and

• disposal (i.e. after removal or disposal of uninstalled stock).

You will no longer need an engineered stone licence that was previously required for undertaking an engineered stone process.

What about finished engineered stone products?

There is no express exemption for finished prefabricated engineered stone products. Guidance from WorkSafe indicates that:

“The ban applies to working with engineered stone benchtops, slabs or panels. That means that work with engineered stone products that are not benchtops, slabs or panels (such as jewellery, garden ornaments, sculptures, kitchen sinks) will still be permitted.”

There may however be uncertainty with finished engineered stone products which could be described as panels or slabs. These terms are not defined.  HIA recommends that members check with suppliers of such products to determine whether they could be subject to the ban.

Working with crystalline silica

The existing Compliance Code:  Managing exposure to crystalline silica: Engineered Stone, will be revoked on 1 July 2024. However, working with legacy engineered stone after 1 July 2024 will still be subject to existing control requirements for high risk crystalline silica processes.

This means preparing a crystalline silica hazard control statement beforehand, and adhering to it, for identified high risk crystalline work. Also, by following mandatory measures to control the risk to health by ensuring that any power tool or mechanical plant is used with:

• an integrated water delivery system that complies with the regulations or:

  • an on-tool dust extraction system that is commercially available and is connected to—

    • a Dust Class H Vacuum; or

    • another system that captures any dust generated by the use of the power tool or mechanical plant; or

  • if it is not reasonably practicable to use the systems referred to above, local exhaust ventilation.

More information can be found on the WorkSafe Victoria dedicated page for preventing exposure to crystalline silica dust.

Further information about the engineered stone ban

You can access the Occupational Health and Safety Amendment (Engineered Stone Prohibition) Regulations 2024.

Work safe has a dedicated page with answers to all your questions here -