Safe Work Australia has released the 2026 National Safe Work Month campaign kit, available for workplaces across Australia ahead of the campaign running each October. For stone fabrication shops, benchtop installers, and engineered stone suppliers, this year’s kit arrives at a moment when silica compliance is the dominant safety topic in the industry — and the campaign materials give businesses a practical way to reset their safety culture around it.

What’s in the 2026 Campaign Kit

According to Safe Work Australia’s campaign page, the kit gives workplaces everything they need to run a month-long safety program: promotional materials, event ideas, and practical resources designed to make health and safety “a permanent part of your workplace culture.” The kit is distributed through Safe Work Australia’s media centre and campaign channels, and it’s free to download.

• Ready-to-use promotional materials for posters, newsletters, and intranet content
• Toolbox talk and team meeting discussion guides
• Case studies and resources tailored to high-risk industries, including construction and manufacturing
• Social media kits for engaging workers where they actually spend time
• Guidance on running workplace safety events during October

Why October 2026 Matters for the Stone Industry

October 2026 lands in the second full year of Australia’s engineered stone ban. The ban has been in force since 1 July 2024 for manufacture, supply, processing, and installation, and the import ban followed on 1 January 2025. For shops that have already transitioned to silica-free products, the campaign is a chance to formalise the new safety processes around alternative materials — because silica-free doesn’t mean dust-free. Resin binders, pigments, and other additives still generate dust that needs control.

How to Use the Kit in a Fabrication Shop

Safe Work Australia’s own materials frame the goal as making health and safety a permanent part of workplace culture — not a once-a-year activity. For a stone shop, a practical October plan might look like this:

1. Week 1 — Baseline: Run a silica dust walkthrough using the kit’s hazard identification prompts; check LEV filters and wet-cutting setups.
2. Week 2 — Training: Use the toolbox talk guide for a session on respirable crystalline silica, covering the 0.025 mg/m³ workplace exposure standard.
3. Week 3 — Documentation: Review SDS registers, air monitoring records, and fit-testing logs against the kit’s checklist.
4. Week 4 — Leadership: Hold a team debrief on what changed, and set 2027 improvement targets.

For more on Australia’s silica regulatory framework, see our Australia Regulations page and our engineered stone ban explainer.