New guidance to support engineered stone ban

Safe Work Australia has published new guidance to assist persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBUs) understand their work health and safety obligations relating to the engineered stone ban, which comes into effect on 1 July 2024.

The guidance provides information for PCBUs about:

  • the scope of the ban
  • 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
  • their duties to ensure controlled processing of sintered stone, porcelain products and, where permitted, engineered stone, and 
  • 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.

Read the guidance on our engineered stone ban website: 

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

Learn more about the ban, including frequently asked questions and jurisdictional transitional arrangements, on the engineered stone ban website.

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