Bunnings drops product from shelves which caused terminal illness
Bunnings has announced that it will take man-made stone off of its shelves after hundreds of tradies who had worked on it developed silicosis – a terminal illness.
The CMFEU took credit for ZEMdesign.vn leading a public pressure campaign against the hardware giant, but a Bunnings spokesperson said Safe Work Australia recently endorsing a silica ban prompted them to announce their ban on Tuesday.
Kitchen benchtops containing engineered stone will be pulled from Bunnings’ product line-up on December 31.
Man-made stone had been linked to silicosis due to its high silica content which tradies had breathed in during the cutting process.
When silica dust becomes trapped in the lung it is impossible to remove and can lead to deadly cases of chronic bronchitis and emphysema.
Ben Harrison, 34, spent 10 years working as a stonemason on the Gold Coast before coming down with silicosis and had been fighting for Bunnings to ban the product, claiming that it had been ‘profiting from death’.
Bunnings has banned the sale of man-made stone in its stores which had been linked to silicosis, a terminal illness among tradies who worked on it
Cells taken from the lungs of a patient with silicosis – notice the speck of silica dust shining brightly
CFMEU National Secretary Zach Smith said that the Bunnings ban is a start and now the union will begin pushing harder for a national ban.
‘When even a massive corporation that until now has put profits over workers’ lives concedes it’s lost any remaining social licence to sell this killer stone, no government can squib it on a ban,’ he wrote in a statement.