Ministers Must Act on Deadly Rock at Crucial Mtg

Federal and state ministers have been urged to commit to banning engineered stone, which is killing Australian workers, when they meet today. Federal, state and territory Work Health and Safety (WHS) ministers will meet in Canberra on Tuesday, with an engineered stone ban on the agenda. The CFMEU is calling on all ministers to announce a ban on the importation and use of engineered stone, commonly used for kitchen bench tops with brands like Caesarstone. The construction union will take the extremely rare step of banning engineered stone in July 2024 unless federal and state governments act first. Modelling by Curtin University estimates that 10,000 workers in Australia across all sectors will develop lung cancer and up to 103,000 will be diagnosed with silicosis as a result of their current exposure to silica dust at work. In NSW alone, one in four engineered stone workers who've been in the industry since 2018 have silicosis or another dust disease. The CFMEU has continued its Stop The Killer Stone campaign with national advertisements in the lead-up to the WHS meeting. "Ministers have the chance to make this a historic day for the safety of Australian workers," incoming CFMEU National Secretary Zach Smith said. "Workplace deaths should be above politics. We've got clear evidence thousands of Australian workers dying because of deadly dust getting in their lungs at work. "We can't afford to waste another day. We're hopeful ministers will do the right thing and announce a ban on engineered stone after they meet today. But if governments won't act, the CFMEU will with its own ban from July next year. "It's time to urgently seize the opportunity to save lives. Anything less than a ban sends a signal this product is fine, when in actual fact it's the asbestos of this generation. "Morally bankrupt companies flooding Australia with cheap engineered stone need to be sent the clearest possible message: we won't pay for your profits with Australian lives."