In an announcement that deals a second major blow in as many days to the industry behind the country’s shiny kitchen benchtop craze,IKEA Australia head Mirja Viinanen said the company had been monitoring the issue,including a landmark Safe Work Australia report that warned there was no alternative but to ban the product.
IKEA has announced it will phase out the sale of engineered stone.Bohdan Warchomij
“IKEA Australia will begin the process of phasing out engineered stone products from our local range,ahead of government action,” Viinanen said. “We strongly support a nationally aligned approach from governments to provide clarity and ensure co-ordinated action across the country.”
On Tuesday,Bunnings director of merchandise Jen Tucker also attributed the decision to withdraw its range of engineered stone benchtops from December 31 to the Safe Work report,which said governments had failed to protect stonemasons from contracting irreversible lung conditions arising from cutting engineered stone.
“While there has been a 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 in a statement.
Construction,Forestry,Maritime,Mining and Energy Union national secretary Zach Smith,who has been campaigning for a blanket ban,said there was now “unstoppable momentum” in support of prohibiting the product.
“Bunnings and IKEA have beaten our federal,state and territory governments to the punch,” he said. “We need an immediate announcement from all work health and safety ministers locking in a ban.”
Federal Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke started discussions of a nationwide ban after an investigation by this masthead and60 Minutes revealed a growing number of workers wereof silicosis while regulators failed to effectively police workplaces.
Federal,state and territory ministers will meet next month to on the engineered stone to stop an epidemic of stonemasons contracting lung disease silicosis. Unions and health experts say there is no safe level of exposure to the crystalline silica dust generated from cutting the material.
Workplace health and safety ministers from NSW,Queensland,Victoria,South Australia,the ACT and the Northern Territory have backed a blanket ban.
NSW Premier Chris Minns said earlier this month the state was prepared to go it alone in announcing a ban if a national agreement could not be reached by the end of the year.
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