A company behind the installation of stone benchtops in homes throughout NSW failed to safeguard its workers against exposure to deadly silica dust, becoming the first in the state to be found guilty of the health and safety breach.
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Edstein Creative, a stone supplier operating out of northern NSW, was slapped with a $375,000 fine on Friday amid a crackdown on rogue operators and a looming national ban on engineered stone.
Dubbed the modern-day asbestos, engineered stone is commonly used in kitchen benchtops, with workers using the product at risk of developing the incurable and deadly lung disease silicosis.
The company was found to have exposed a worker to a risk of serious illness over a period of six years and 10 months by failing to take adequate steps to minimise exposure to airborne respirable crystalline silica.
The employee was exposed while installing engineered stone products, including cutting, grinding, drilling and polishing.
Edstein Creative Pty Ltd pled guilty to the charge in late 2023 after SafeWork NSW began proceedings in 2021.
The case is the first of its kind in the NSW District Court relating to silica dust exposure under the NSW Work Health and Safety Act for failing to comply with their duty.
A large number of workers contracting incurable lung disease silicosis by breathing in small particles of silica dust after working with engineered stone prompted a blanket ban on the material in Australia from July 1.
SafeWork NSW head Trent Curtin said the engineered stone ban would ensure greater worker safety.
"In the meantime, SafeWork Inspectors will continue to take a zero-tolerance approach to workers' lives being endangered through exposure to deadly crystalline silica dust," he said in a statement on Friday.
Australian Associated Press
