2 August 2020 / COVID-19

Melbourne Stage 4 Restrictions

The VIC Premier just announced the following at a press conference:

  • 671 new cases and 7 more deaths overnight
  • From 6pm tonight, a State of Disaster will apply in VIC, and Stage 4 restrictions will come into place for Melbourne:
    • People will only be able to shop and exercise within a 5km radius from home
    • Only 1 person per household will be able to shop once per day
    • No recreational activities allowed, like golf or tennis
    • 1 hour of exercise only per day, no further than 5km from home
    • No group bigger than 2, regardless of whether in family or home
    • Intimate partner visits allowed outside of 5km
    • A curfew will be in place from 8pm tonight, curfew will run 8pm to 5am every day in metropolitan Melbourne
    • Only reason to be out outside these curfew hours is to get care / give care / go to or from work / be at work
  • From midnight this coming Wednesday, the rest of Victoria (all regional areas) will move to Stage 3 restrictions. These will be the same restrictions in place for Melbourne currently, and not the additional Stage 4 restrictions above.
  • Tomorrow the VIC Premier will announce more changes regarding industries and workplaces:
    • 3 categories of businesses will apply
    • Category that will remain open – supermarkets, bakeries, butchers, takeway food etc
    • Category that will remain open with restrictions and less output
    • Category that will move to work from home only, or if work from home isn’t possible, will have to shut
  • In regard to schools, from midnight this coming Wednesday, flexible and remote learning for all students in all schools across Victoria
  • Children will be able to go to school if their parents are ‘defined industry’ workers or vulnerable children
  • These measures will last for 6 weeks (from today for the Stage 4 restrictions and from Wed midnight for other restrictions)
  • More about fines/enforcements tomorrow

These are the local government areas under stage four restrictions from 6:00pm tonight

The new directions begin at 6:00pm today and continue for six weeks until 11:59pm on Sunday, September 13.

The areas moving to stage four restrictions include 31 metropolitan Melbourne LGAs.

They are:

  • Banyule
  • Hume
  • Moreland
  • Bayside
  • Kingston
  • Mornington
  • Peninsula
  • Boroondara
  • Knox
  • Nillumbik
  • Brimbank
  • Manningham
  • Port Phillip
  • Cardinia
  • Maribyrnong
  • Stonnington
  • Casey
  • Maroondah
  • Whitehorse
  • Darebin
  • Melbourne
  • Whittlesea
  • Frankston
  • Melton
  • Wyndham
  • Glen Eira
  • Monash
  • Yarra
  • Greater Dandenong
  • Moonee Valley
  • Yarra Ranges
  • Hobsons Bay
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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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