This Decision Regulation Impact Statement (Decision RIS) provides an analysis of the impact of a prohibition on the use of engineered stone under the model WHS laws.

“Silica” is silicon dioxide, a naturally occurring and widely abundant mineral that is a major component of most rocks, sand and soils. It’s used to make common building materials like concrete, engineered stone (used in kitchen and other benchtops) and bricks.

The Monash Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health (MonCOEH) prepared this report, which: 

While the use of asbestos has been banned in Australia since 2003, in the past there was widespread use of asbestos in buildings. Construction and maintenance workers may be more likely to be involved in work that can disturb asbestos. 

This report, the first from the occupational skin disease database, can be considered a preliminary description of the working population and substances associated with occupational skin disease in Australia.