Seeking your feedback on work with engineered stone and materials containing crystalline silica

About the consultation

We want to hear about your experiences with engineered stone and other industries where exposure to respirable crystalline silica is a risk. Your feedback will inform MBIE’s advice to Ministers on improvements we could make to the controls currently in place.

What we are seeking feedback on

All workers and their families deserve to have confidence that they will return home safe from work, including those in the engineered stone industry and other sectors working with materials that contain crystalline silica. 

In its solid form, engineered stone does not have hazardous properties. It is the dust that is generated from cutting, grinding, or polishing engineered stone that has the potential to cause harm when it is breathed in usually over long periods of exposure.

Despite current initiatives, risk management practices remain inconsistent. WorkSafe inspections have found that even better-performing businesses sometimes lapse in applying effective controls. 

MBIE is seeking feedback on options which include:

• Specific mandatory controls on processing of engineered stone 
• Licensing of workplaces that fabricate engineered stone
• A general duty to reduce RCS exposure in all workplaces
• Mandatory worker health and/or exposure monitoring to ensure the effectiveness of any controls
• A potential ban on import, use, and supply of engineered stone

We are seeking feedback from a broad range of submitters on the option(s) you prefer. Some options can be combined to produce a package of proposed changes. We are interested in how options will impact on businesses and individuals who work within industries that work with materials that contain crystalline silica, such as in engineered stone fabrication, construction, mining, tunnelling, quarrying, etc.