Industry moves out of the silica stone age

AGB is limiting levels of silica. (Image: AGB)

Mon, 24 Jul 2023

The country’s largest stone benchtop fabricator says it's phasing out using high-silica slabs in the wake of stronger WorkSafe rules intended to protect workers from silicosis lung disease.Affordable Granite Benchtops (AGB), which employs 130 workers across its six New Zealand fabrication factories, said it intends to limit silica content in its engineered stone to 40%. Fletcher Building-owned Laminex also recently announced it would start moving its range of engineered stone, including its Caesarstone product, to a low-sili...

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