5 August 2020 / COVID-19

QLD Border Closures

Queensland borders will close to New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory from 1am this Saturday, August 8.

All visitors will be denied entry except for rare exemptions and returning Queenslanders will have to pay for 14 days mandatory hotel quarantine.

Queensland’s Chief Health Officer has declared all of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory as hotspots.

Only residents of border communities and essential workers, such as truck drivers, will be able to cross the border.

Exemptions – including for compassionate reasons – will be limited.

Passes for border communities will be for those with proof of address and photo ID.

The border closure will be reviewed at the end of the month.

Annastacia Palaszczuk held a press conference this morning regarding the border re-closure:

  • Current situation in NSW, ACT and VIC is of great concern to Queensland
  • Queensland Disaster Management Group met extensively yesterday and today to look at tough border measure
  • CMO Declaring NSW and ACT a hotspot and borders closing to these locations
  • Immediate effect from 1am Saturday
  • Right thing to do – tough for Queenslanders – but your health comes first – we also need to protect families and the economy and avoid what’s happening in Victoria
  • Very important Queenslanders stay in Queensland – now is not the time to travel to NSW or VIC – not risking QLD’s people and economy
  • Victoria not getting better and not waiting for NSW to get worse
  • ACT closed because of examples of people from NSW hotspots traveling via ACT to QLD

Deputy Premier’s comments:

  • 1 new case today in West Moreton (total active cases – 11)
  • Queensland went 63 days without any community transmission
  • Only takes 1 case to see a wide spread outbreak
  • The current cases are putting pressure on our health system
  • 85,000 tests in the last week
  • Cannot afford to risk our progress

Currently no detail on the exact details around border communities – actively monitoring the news / QLD official channels of announcements and will let you all know as soon as we know.

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30 October / Quality Alert
Prohibition on the Use of Engineered Stone

Engineered stone ban effective 1 July 2024

ALL engineered stone regardless of the silica content percentage will be banned

Alternative products must be considered and implemented on all projects.

The industry is shifting away from engineered stone due to the risks of respirable crystalline silica, which can cause silicosis and other silica-related diseases. Although the consultations are under way and there has been no official announcement by Federal or State Governments on the issue, the health and safety risks along with the uncertainty around this issue warrants a decision to ban all engineered products entering job sites nationally. The ban will take effect on 1 July 2024 and will extend to ALL engineered stone regardless of the silica content percentage. 

An update to this alert will be provided before the end of the year when the Federal and State Governments are expected to issue a formal decision on the ban. In the meantime, to mitigate the impact of potential delays and variations, the best approach is to inform the clients of the pending ban and to propose and seek approval for an alternative product. Similarly, ensure all future estimates have the stone specification qualified and priced accordingly.

Product alternatives going forward include:

Compact Laminates

  • Under 1% silica content
  • Extremely competitive pricing
  • Only comes in 12mm thickness
  • Heat resistance is an issue
  • Product not suitable for high end applications

Porcelain Surfaces

  • Under 10% silica content
  • Price dependant of product and supplier
  • Large variety of colours and thicknesses (4, 8, 12, 20 and 30mm)
  • Great resistance to staining, scratches, UV and heat
  • Good warranty terms

Acrylic Solid Surfaces

  • 0% silica content
  • More expensive alternative
  • Limited thickness availability
  • UV stable and heat resistant but direct heat exposure not advised
  • Minimising wastage through flexibility in sheet sizing
  • Seamless joints

Natural Stone*

  • Various silica content percentages
  • Variety of products at different price points available
  • Ongoing maintenance may be an issue
  • Unlikely to satisfy specific warranty requirements

*Although this alert does not directly impact natural stone, some types have high silica content so risk of using these on projects should be considered carefully.

For an up-to-date list of available products and their usability, click here.

More information

If you need additional support, please contact the Quality Team:

Phone 1300 HUTCHIES
Email QualityTeam@hutchinsonbuilders.com.au

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10 October / Update
Installation Details for Elephant's Foot & Wastech Bin Chutes

Make sure bin chute systems are installed correctly, following the tested systems and the manufacturers’ instructions.

Check the detailed drawings from Elephant’s Foot and Wastech for different wall types (plasterboard, shaft-liner, speed panel, concrete, Hebel, and masonry).

Any changes to the tested systems must be approved by your project certifier, signed off by the fire engineer in the fire engineering report (FER), and accepted by the relevant state / territory fire service.

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