Australia became the first country in the world to ban engineered stone — the quartz-based material widely used for kitchen and bathroom benchtops — from 1 July 2024. The ban followed a surge in silicosis diagnoses among stonemasons and kitchen benchtop fabricators, some of whom were diagnosed in their 20s and 30s with a disease previously associated with older miners and quarry workers.
New Zealand has not followed Australia’s lead — at least not yet. WorkSafe NZ and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment are monitoring the evidence and the outcomes of the Australian ban, but as of mid-2025, engineered stone can still be specified, sold, and installed in New Zealand.
What Is Silicosis
Silicosis is a progressive, incurable lung disease caused by inhaling fine particles of crystalline silica. Natural stone — granite, marble, slate — contains silica, and stonemasons have always faced some exposure risk. What changed with engineered stone is the concentration: some engineered stone products contain up to 93% crystalline silica by weight, compared to around 25% in natural granite. Cutting, grinding, and polishing these products generates very high concentrations of fine respirable silica dust.
When inhaled over time, silica particles trigger an immune response in the lungs that causes progressive scarring (fibrosis). There is no treatment to reverse it. Advanced silicosis is fatal.
The Industry in New Zealand
New Zealand has a smaller engineered stone fabrication industry than Australia, but it is not trivial. Kitchen benchtop installation is a widespread trade, and many workers have been cutting and grinding these products — often without adequate respiratory protection — for years.
WorkSafe has issued guidance on silica dust management and has increased inspection activity in the sector. The current position is that the existing hazardous substance regulations, combined with enhanced exposure standards and enforcement, can adequately protect workers without an outright ban. Critics of this approach point to Australia’s trajectory — years of guidance, monitoring, and enhanced standards before the health evidence ultimately forced a ban — and argue that NZ is repeating the same delay.
What Builders and Specifiers Should Know
For now, if engineered stone is being used on your projects, the obligations are: ensure fabricators and installers can demonstrate adequate silica dust controls (wet cutting, local exhaust ventilation, appropriate respiratory protection); do not allow dry cutting of engineered stone; and check that workers who may be exposed are receiving appropriate health monitoring. The liability for inadequate controls sits with the PCBU — and awareness of the Australian ban makes the “we didn’t know” defence increasingly thin.