Yep, just another effort toward worker safety - Asbestos caused enough problems. Gotta learn - Australian first.
Australia will become the first country to ban engineered stone bench tops. Will others follow?
Ban is the culmination of a years-long campaign, driven by doctors, trade unions and workers involved in its cutting and handling
Benita Kolovos Thu 14 Dec 2023 18.52 AEDT Last modified on Thu 14 Dec 2023 19.39 AEDT
Health experts, trade unions and governments from California and London are taking note of Australia’s ban on engineered stone. Photograph: Alamy
When an Australian worker developed a debilitating lung disease in 2015, it didn’t take researchers long to connect it to engineered stone bench tops – a popular feature in kitchens and bathrooms.
A years-long campaign, driven by doctors, trade unions and workers, was launched to ban the artificial material as silicosis cases rose among those involved in its cutting and handling.
This week, that campaign culminated in Australia becoming the first country to announce a complete ban on engineered stone, to begin next year.
Health experts, trade unions and governments from California and London are taking note.
The Australian Council of Trade Unions’ assistant secretary, Liam O’Brien, said Australia appeared to have learned its lesson from asbestos, which took decades to ban.
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