'We can't keep delaying this', Tony Burke to propose silica ban within six months

The ACT government banned uncontrolled dry cutting of material containing silica in November, while NSW Labor is making it an election issue. Construction workers, particularly stonemasons installing engineered stone kitchen benchtops, are being exposed to deadly silicosis lung disease when they inhale crystalline silica dust,

They are contracting silicosis at alarming levels. A screening by WorkCover Queensland of over 1,000 exposed stonemasons found that almost 1 in 5 had silicosis, while 1 in 30 had progressive massive fibrosis.

Mr Burke will meet with state and territory workplace health and safety ministers in Canberra on Tuesday with concern for silica exposure high on the agenda. The Minister is also announcing commonwealth consideration of an importation ban of engineered stone.

"If a children's toy was harming or killing kids we'd take it off the shelves. How many thousands of workers have to die before we do something about silica products?," Mr Burke said in a statement.

"We can't keep delaying this. It's time we considered a ban.

"I'm not willing to wait around the way people did with asbestos."

Last week in a state election pledge, NSW Labor promised to up health screening and push for a national ban of engineered stone bench tops by 2024 if it won office later this month.

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The ACT now prohibits the uncontrolled dry-cutting of crystalline silica materials and "mandates silica dust awareness training for certain occupations at higher risk of exposure to silica dust".

Almost two years ago, in June 2021, the National Dust and Diseases Taskforce, headed by Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly, recommended that governments only start considering a ban in 2024, but the federal minister is now backing moves to ban it within six months.

The taskforce had recommended the ban, if by July 2024, there is "no measurable and acceptable improvement in regulatory compliance rates for the engineered stone sector as reported by jurisdictions"

And, "evidence indicates preventative measures are not effectively protecting those working with engineered stone from silicosis and silica-associated diseases."

It is understood that Safe Work Australia will present a new report at Tuesday's meeting on the prohibition of engineered stone within six months, and draft regulations by the end of the year.

If two-thirds of the ministers agree, Safe Work Australia will begin consultations on the potential ban.

The report is understood to recommend a new education and awareness campaign, better regulation of silica dust across all industries and further analysis and scoping ahead of the potential ban.

Mr Burke will announce on Tuesday that the Commonwealth will also consider, in a parallel process to a potential domestic use ban, an importation ban.

Federal, state and territory ministers are expected to meet again in the second half of the year to review progress.