�
Caesarstone launched a lower silica product ( less than 40 % silica ) in 2022 and by mid-2024 expects that all of its products sold in Australia will contain less than 40 % silica 51 , and
� Cosentino engineered stone products Silestone Q10 and Q40 contain less than 10 % and 40 % crystalline silica respectively ( Cosentino Global , S . L . U ., 2023 ).
While stakeholders have indicated that engineered stone with less than 40 % crystalline silica is currently more expensive , they have also indicated that they should be able to meet demand within the next 12-18 months , should higher silica content products be prohibited .
B . 4 Defining other industry PCBUs B . 4.1 Other PCBUs working with engineered stone
‘ Other industry PCBUs ’ are the trades who work with engineered stone in the course of their primary activities . An example provided during consultation to inform the Prohibition Decision RIS is that of a homeowner buying a new electrical cooktop ( stovetop ) and requiring an electrician to rewire and fit the new cooktop , which will likely require the electrician to cut into the engineered stone benchtop to fit the new appliance . This same scenario could also apply to sinks and power points . 52
A licensing framework is proposed across all options for work on engineered stone already installed , where other industry PCBUs will need to obtain a licence to undertake certain activities such as removal , repair , and minor modification of pre-installed engineered stone .
B . 4.2 Number of other industry PCBUs
The number of businesses within the construction sector that would handle previously installed engineered stone has been estimated using Counts of Australian Businesses data published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics ( ABS ) for June 2022 . This data shows the total number of businesses at the four-digit ANZSIC industry classification level for each jurisdiction . An assessment of all four-digit ANZSIC categories was undertaken to determine which industries would work with legacy engineered stone ( refer to Table 20 ).
As Victoria has not adopted the model WHS laws , PCBUs in Victoria have not been included in this analysis , with an acknowledgement that there will be some cross border activity .
Not all PCBUs in each industry category would work with engineered stone . Given the high degree of uncertainty about the proportion of PCBUs in each category that would work with engineered stone at some point over the time period , a very conservative 100 % of businesses have been included in the analysis , to provide an indicative upper cost estimation .
There is an estimated 179,750 other industry PCBUs currently assumed to do some work with engineered stone in the course of their primary activities ( Table 21 ). The number of PCBUs who may choose to continue to undertake work with engineered stone through a licensing framework for work with legacy products is considered in section B . 7 , and is expected to be a fraction of this total number .
51
Caesarstone submission
52
ACCI submission
DECISION REGULATION IMPACT STATEMENT Prohibition on the use of engineered stone Page 75 of 107