WorkSafe: Silica and its Risks
Managing Silica Dust
Nearly two years on from the engineered stone ban, managing silica dust remains a critical issue across the construction industry.
On 1 July, it will have been two years since the Victorian government banned the manufacturing, supplying, processing, and installation of engineered stone benchtops, panels and slabs to help protect workers from deadly silica dust exposure.
But while engineered stone is gone, crystalline silica dust hasn’t disappeared from work sites.
Activities, like cutting, drilling, and grinding concrete, bricks, tiles and other silica-containing materials, can still release dangerous crystalline silica dust into the air. When breathed in, these fine particles can cause serious lung damage, including silicosis – an irreversible and progressive disease that can lead to disability or even death.
Between July 2024 and February 2026, silicosis accounted for 7% of all occupational disease claims made to WorkSafe Victoria, second only to hearing loss, with the number set to increase as more workers are screened as they age.
Managing silica risks on site remains a legal responsibility for employers and should focus on four key steps:
- Identify the hazard
- Assess the risk
- Control the risk
- Review and revise controls regularly
- To support industry, WorkSafe has updated a range of practical tools and resources now available on WorkSafe website, with a video series covering a range of topics, including how crystalline silica is created. Videos include:
- Hazard identification
- Air monitoring
- Health monitoring
- On tool dust extraction
- Information, instruction and training
- Dust suppression
- Respirator use
- Demolition
WorkSafe has also updated the crystalline silica hazard control statement template – a document similar to a Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS) but designed specifically for high-risk crystalline silica work.
The updates include:
- A simpler, easier-to-use format
- Clearer headings and guidance
- Improved examples
- A name, signature, and date sign-off table – similar to the one found on the SWMS template.
If you would like to learn more about keeping you and your workers safe when working with crystalline silica, visit the WorkSafe Victoria website at https://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/crystalline-silica
* Monash University: Final report of phase 2: Silica-associated lung disease health screening research project, September 2021 (v1.3)