Guide 2 of 7 · the benchtop

Which kitchen benchtops the stone ban covers

In NSW the ban falls on engineered stone, and it is measured: SafeWork NSW says engineered stone benchtops, panels and slabs containing at least 1% crystalline silica is banned.

And the date is fixed: SafeWork NSW says any work involving the manufacture, supply, processing or installation of engineered stone was banned on 1 July 2024.

1Power points, rangehoodLicensed electrician (NSW)
2Gas line and cooktopLicence at any cost (NSW)
3The benchtopEngineered stone: banned since 1 July 2024 (NSW)
4The cabinet runLicence over $5,000 (NSW)
5Sink trap and water linesLicence at any cost (NSW)

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What the ban catches

SafeWork NSW states the rule for this state plainly: engineered stone benchtops, panels and slabs containing at least 1% crystalline silica is banned, and any work involving the manufacture, supply, processing or installation of engineered stone was banned on 1 July 2024.

Nationally, Safe Work Australia narrows the shape of the thing: the ban only applies to engineered stone benchtops, panels and slabs, so to be banned, a product must be in benchtop, panel or slab form and meet all criteria (1) to (3) of the engineered stone definition.

And the silica figure is written into the same page in the negative: engineered stone products that contain less than 1% crystalline silica (as a weight/weight concentration) are not subject to the ban.

What the ban leaves alone

The distinction a kitchen quote turns on is between what is engineered and what is not. SafeWork NSW: natural stone benchtops, panels or slabs, for example granite benchtops, are not banned. Finished engineered stone products such as jewellery, garden ornaments, sculptures or kitchen sinks are not banned either. And on the silica figure, Safe Work Australia's line is the one to read closely: under 1% crystalline silica by weight, the product is not subject to the ban.

The distinction, four rows deep
What it is	The rule, and whose it is
Engineered stone benchtops, panels and slabs with at least 1% crystalline silica	Banned. SafeWork NSW states it for this state, and any work involving the manufacture, supply, processing or installation of engineered stone was banned on 1 July 2024.
Natural stone, for example granite	Not banned. SafeWork NSW: natural stone benchtops, panels or slabs, for example granite benchtops, are not banned.
Finished engineered stone products, such as kitchen sinks	Not banned. SafeWork NSW lists jewellery, garden ornaments, sculptures and kitchen sinks among the finished products that are not banned.
Engineered stone under 1% crystalline silica, by weight	Not subject to the ban, in Safe Work Australia's wording.

The test keeps its form as well as its figure: to be banned, a product must be in benchtop, panel or slab form and meet all criteria (1) to (3) of the engineered stone definition.

For example: new cabinets under an old stone benchtop

Take a kitchen with a benchtop installed before the ban, in a set of cabinets that is being replaced, so the benchtop has to come off and go back on. What NSW permits here is set out as a business permission, on the SafeWork NSW exemption page, and it is specific.

Temporary removal and reinstallation of legacy engineered stone benchtops, panels and slabs is permitted to complete repairs or minor modifications. The exemption applies to a PCBU carrying out, or directing or allowing a worker to carry out, the reinstallation of an engineered stone benchtop, panel or slab that was removed in order for other work to be carried out at the premises. It applies only to the reinstallation of a benchtop, panel or slab which was temporarily removed to enable work to the underlying cabinetry or supporting structure, or to give access to repair or modify some underlying component.

Two conditions carry the weight. The engineered stone benchtop, panel or slab must be reinstalled in the same location and at the same address from which it was removed. And for the avoidance of doubt, the exemption does not apply to the installation of any replacement engineered stone benchtop, panel or slab if the original engineered stone benchtop, panel or slab cannot be reinstalled.

If that day comes, the SafeWork NSW page for businesses doing this work is direct about the way out: if the original benchtop, slab, or panel cannot be reinstalled, an alternative product that is not banned must be used. Natural stone, or an engineered stone product under 1% crystalline silica, is what the pages leave in the field.

A benchtop already installed, and a benchtop being worked on

Safe Work Australia answers the question a homeowner asks next, in its own words. Available evidence suggests engineered stone products do not pose a safety risk after installation in your home or workplace, as long as they are not processed, for example cut or polished. Health risks may arise if silica dust is generated during the removal, repair, minor modification or disposal of legacy engineered stone.

Which brings the ban back to the people holding tools rather than the people holding a benchtop, in Safe Work Australia's words: it is important that you don't undertake any work with engineered stone yourself if you are not qualified.

The licensing and contract pages for a kitchen job are the quote and contract guide and, for who may do which part, the guides to the sink, the cooktop and the power points.