The government is under pressure to ban a toxic concrete linked to fatal disease after top retailers phased a range of products in response to damning workplace safety findings.
Swedish furniture giant Ikea scrapped a range of trendy kitchen benchtops from its shelves on Tuesday, following in the footsteps of Bunnings, after a Safe Work Australia report recommended an outright ban on engineered stone to protect workers from contracting silicosis.
Independent crossbenchers released an open letter to state and federal governments on Wednesday urging for a nationwide ban on the material.
“It’s really embarrassing when you have Bunnings that’s already come over the top of you. Wake up and do something that is sensible that saves lives in this country and do it before Christmas,” Tasmanian Senator Jacqui Lambie said.
“They’re [Labor] talking about IR laws and making workplaces safe but these guys have been sitting on this report [...]. I just have to say to Tony Burke and the government, are you waiting for us to throw you a sausage sizzle? Seriously. Get on with the job and get this done.”
Silicosis is an incurable and potentially fatal disease and is caused by inhaling tiny particles of silica dust. Engineered stone benchtops, which have become a feature in many Australian kitchens and bathrooms, contain a high concentration of crystalline silica
It’s estimated up to 600,000 Australian workers are potentially being exposed to silica dust each year, with hundreds of lung disease diagnoses related to exposure confirmed annually.
CFMEU national secretary Zach Smith said there is now “unstoppable momentum” behind banning engineered stone and called for an immediate response from health and workplace ministers to lock in a ban.
“We know this product is killing 1 in 4 workers through silicosis and a variety of other deadly dust disease,” Mr Smith told reporters.“This is the asbestos of the 2020’s there’s no doubt about it.”
More than two thirds of Australians support an outright manufacturing and import ban on engineered stone, according to recent poll findings from the Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union (CFMEU).
Growing calls for a sweeping ban come after IKEA boss Mirja Viinanen said the company “strongly supports” a nationally aligned approach from the government to provide “clarity and ensure coordinated action” across Australia.
It came after Bunnings on Tuesday announced it would stop selling the material by December 31, just weeks after union members staged protests to challenge the company to stop selling it to consumers.
Bunnings director of merchandise, Jen Tucker, said the chain made the decision before their hand was forced by state and federal governments.
“While there has been clear indication from NSW and other state governments that they will legislate a ban on the product, we are proactively making this decision to allow suppliers and customers time to prepare for a transition,” she said.
The majority of benchtops sold in Bunnings stores were laminate and timber, Ms Tucker said.
“The decision to adjust our range now will give our suppliers certainty about future sourcing of materials and should mean we’re well positioned to offer a fully-compliant range well ahead of any changes being mandated.”
Union boss Mr Smith said he hoped “this is the end of the line for engineered stone” and called for other retailers to follow suit.
“When even a massive corporation that until now has put profits over workers’ lives concedes it’s lost any remaining social licence to sell this killer stone, no government can squib it on a ban,” he said.
The CFMEU has vowed to ban its members from using or importing engineered stone products from July next year if federal and state governments do not act.
“Bunnings and Ikea have beaten our federal, state and territory governments to the punch,” he said on Wednesday.
“Ikea should join Bunnings in setting a concrete date because lives are at risk every single day we wait.”
State and federal workplace ministers will meet again next month to decide the product’s fate after failing to reach a consensus last month. If agreed to, Australia will become the first country in the world to ban engineered stone.
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