The CFMEU says if the Commonwealth does not ban the use of engineered stone products, it will block them itself. 

Engineered stone products contain high levels of crushed silica crystals, which produces silica dust when it is cut, ground or polished. If this dust is inhaled, it can cause silicosis - a condition marked by scarring of the lungs, trouble breathing, chronic coughing, respiratory failure and even death.

However, because engineered stone is cheaper than natural marble or other materials, and comes in a range of colours, it is now a fashionable choice for kitchen benchtops and bathroom fittings.

“This product is killing workers and the reality is Australian workers will keep dying unless we ban engineered stone,” says incoming CFMEU national secretary Zach Smith.

The construction union says that if the federal government does not ban production, importation and use of the materials by July 2024, it will ban its members from handling it.

The government's National Dust Disease Taskforce says that close to a quarter of all workers exposed to silica dust from engineered stone before 2018 have been diagnosed with silicosis.

The agency has found that existing workplace health and safety regulations do not protect stonemasons sufficiently, but has stopped short of calling for the product to be banned.

Mr Smith says even in workplaces that follow best practice to manage the risk of exposure to silica dust, cases of silicosis and dust disease still emerge.

The Department of Employment and Workplace Relations said Minister Tony Burke says he will discuss silicosis at a meeting of state work health and safety ministers early next year, which could discuss calls to ban engineered stone with high-silica content.

“The government will continue to work with unions to address health issues that arise from exposure to silica dust,” a spokesperson said.