According to a report published by a federal task force, the place of reconstituted stone benchtops in the Australian market could be under question unless safety concerns can be reduced.
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Reconstituted stone benchtops have become a popular purchase for many modern homes, according to data from Queensland and Victoria. Nearly one in four people who have worked with engineered stone since 2018 suffer from silicosis or other diseases related to silica dust.
Its final report released on Monday stopped short of recommending an immediate ban on imports, but in the absence of significant industry changes, Australia should get ready to ban some or all product imports from July 2024.
Ararat Kitchens and Joinery owner and operator Monique Hargreaves said she expected suppliers to adapt to any changes in the market.
"I don't think it would affect us dramatically because people can choose other options with timber, or concrete, or natural stone not reconstituted stone," she said.
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"It was unregulated until a few years ago, but it is good that it is regulated now and obviously everyone needs to get on board.
"Someone out there will come up with a safer alternative."
Mrs Hargreaves said Ararat Kitchens and Joinery don't manufacture their own benchtops, but instead have supplier relationships with companies in areas such as Ballarat.
She said stone bench tops were one of her business' most popular types of benchtops and she expected changes to import rules would shift demand to a different style of benchtop.
"It is a price point, and it is a higher price point. 50 per cent of our bench tops are stone tops, but there are a lot of laminate and timber tops people want too," she said
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"There are other options and people would start producing different options themselves.
"We just have suppliers that come through, so if we have a customer who wants a stone benchtop we simply help them with the colour and the measurements, send that to suppliers and they come up and install it."
The federal task force said health and safety regulations weren't properly protecting workers from dust exposure linked to the deadly lung disease silicosis.
Silicosis is caused by the inhalation of crystalline silica released when engineered stone is cut, ground or polished.
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