Work health and Safety Amendment (Engineered Stone) Regulation 2024
From 1 July 2024, the Work Health and Safety Amendment (Engineered Stone) Regulation 2024 (the Amendment Regulation) makes several amendments to the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2017 (the Regulation).
The Amendment Regulation gives effect to the Work Health and Safety Ministers' decision on 13 December 2023 to implement a ban on the use, supply and manufacture of engineered stone benchtops, panels and slabs, with limited exceptions.
The Amendment Regulation includes the following provisions:
- Defines engineered stone and clarifies that all sintered stone and porcelain products are excluded from the general prohibition. Further exceptions are also permitted in certain circumstances.
- Outlines how work involving processed engineered stone is controlled, including the safety measures that can be undertaken to control such work.
- Contains the primary prohibition on work involving engineered stone.
Provides for a notification framework to allow for the regulator to be notified of certain work being carried out. It provides for how this notification can occur and when it should be made. - It provides for a stringent exemption framework to provide a process to exempt engineered stone products from the prohibition unless satisfied that granting the exemption will result in a standard of health and safety that is at least equivalent to the standard that would have been achieved without the exemption.
- Transitional arrangements to outline that work involving engineered for contracts entered into before 31 December 2023 can continue until 31 December 2024.
Further information about the ban on engineered stone can be found on the SafeWork NSW website and the Safe Work Australia website.