Renovation collection The Block final night time featured in a narrative on Media Watch with questions round engineered stone benchtops, equipped by Spanish firm, Cosentino.
Earlier this yr 60 Minutes reported on “How our love of shiny kitchen and toilet benchtops is driving a Silicosis epidemic.”
Publicity to silica mud, launched in chopping, grinding and shaping reconstituted or engineered stone, can result in silicosis, an incurable and insidious lung illness, in addition to kidney illness and lung most cancers.
The Block‘s Scott Cam just lately instructed viewers the merchandise had “minimal silica – like pure – that naturally happens in seaside sand or one thing like that – so it’s very secure.”
Nonetheless the ACTU instructed ABC even low silica engineered stone symbolize unmanageable dangers throughout fabrication and thus ought to be prohibited.
ACTU Assistant Secretary Liam O’Brien stated in a press release, “We’re disillusioned to see the present selling the usage of Silestone, an engineered stone model produced by Spanish firm Cosentino, which had admitted in courtroom abroad that it negligently hid the hazards of its product, allegedly leading to almost 1900 staff contracting silicosis.”
He added, “TV packages comparable to The Block ought to be warning customers of the product they’re buying has come on the expense of staff lives, as a substitute of what seems to be a money for remark strategy.”
In a press release to Media Watch a 9 spokesperson stated, “Engineered stone was not used in any respect. All kitchens used pure stone. Some laundries used a product which WorkSafe doesn’t take into account to the engineered stone, resulting from its low silica content material. In any occasion, no pure stone was minimize on web site. All benches have been made off web site utilizing secure work strategies (as proven in this system) after which put in on location.
“We in any other case refer you to Cosentino relating to their work practices. We’ve got cited paperwork which show that these have been reviewed by WorkSafe.
“We work with WorkSafe at The Block to make sure secure work practices. 9 is conscious of the problems referring to engineered stone merchandise within the phase that the ACTU raised with us. The contestant particularly refers back to the points with silica mud. We word that this contestant can be a profession security officer.”
Cosentino additionally maintained the Silestone merchandise fall outdoors the definition of engineered stone as a result of they has lower than 40% silica.
However Media Watch host Paul Barry stated, “Cosentino and The Block have been basing their responses on Victorian rules that solely outline stone as engineered if it comprises greater than 40 per cent silica. And the benchtops in The Block have a most of 34 per cent.”
Protected Work Australia, the federal government physique chargeable for staff well being and security, additionally instructed Media Watch the benchtops are engineered stone on their definition which applies throughout the remainder of Australia, including “there isn’t a credible proof of a secure threshold degree of publicity.”
Silestone has been utilized in laundries for Homes 2, 3 and 5.
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