Silica dust

The ACT's Work Health and Safety (Managing the Risks of Airborne Crystalline Silica (Silica Dust) in the Workplace Code of Practice Approval 2023 comes into effect on 15 November 2023.

This Code of Practice provides practical guidance on how to manage the risks associated with silica dust at the workplace including engineered stone and other materials containing silica.

What is silica dust?

Silica is a common naturally occurring mineral, also known as silicon dioxide. Silica can be found or manufactured in different forms, broadly divided into crystalline and non-crystalline (amorphous).

The most common form of silica is quartz. Silica is found in some stones, rocks, sand, gravel and clay. Silica dust can also be found in:

  • bricks
  • pavers
  • tiles, and
  • concrete.

When natural stone or rock and other silica containing products are cut, crushed or sanded, dust is released. The very fine portion of the dust that is generated is known as respirable crystalline silica or silica dust.

The ACT Silica Dust Action Plan has outlined work health and safety reforms for silica dust. The reforms include regulatory changes for managing the risks of crystalline silica in the workplace.

Silica hazards

Crystalline silica is a hazard at the workplace. It becomes a risk to workers when the products and materials it is in are modified using power tools. This cutting generates respirable crystalline silica, or silica dust, that can become airborne and then breathed in by workers and others at the workplace.

The increased use of machinery and power tools and the increased use of manufactured products that have a high in silica content can result in very high exposures to silica dust in some workplaces.

The health risks of silica dust can include:

  • chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema)
  • silicosis (an irreversible scarring and stiffening of the lungs)
  • lung cancer (associated with silicosis)
  • kidney disease, and
  • auto-immune diseases such as scleroderma.

Many of the diseases caused by silica dust have a long latency, which means it takes years for the effects to be felt or seen.

Occupations and tasks that can lead to Silica exposure

For further information on what occupations and tasks can lead to silica exposure read here at Occupations and tasks that can lead to silica exposure.

Risk management

The Work Health and Safety Act 2011 requires persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBUs), in consultation with workers, to identify hazards, assess risks and implement practical controls to protect workers’ health and safety.

To assess the risk of exposure to silica dust from a task, the PCBU should examine the work processes used with silica or silica containing products.

The assessment looks at the likelihood, consequence and outcome of the risk. This assessment can be informed by air monitoring results and health monitoring reports. Find out more information about air monitoring and health monitoring.

In some cases, the risk may be clear without monitoring. You might clearly see clouds of dust from silica containing materials, such as during dry concrete cutting, or find a build up of dust at the workplace along windowsills or on machinery.

It is important to understand that a dust cloud contains a range of different sized particles and the very fine particles of silica dust, that pose the greatest risk to health, stay airborne for longer and may be difficult to see.

New silica dust regulations for the ACT

As a result of industry feedback, amendments have been made to the WHS Regulation 2011:

The new amendment specifies silica control measures that must be considered as a minimum for silica dust. These include:

  • wet dust suppression – which includes a number of wet methods such as a continuous feed of water, misting, spraying, foams, pastes and fluids other than water
  • isolating the work from others
  • on tool dust extraction
  • local exhaust ventilation, and
  • respiratory protective equipment (RPE).

From 1 November 2022, if you cannot eliminate silica dust from your workplace:

  • you must have a continuous feed of water over the cutting area, plus one other silica control measure plus RPE when modifying engineered stone
  • when modifying silica containing materials (other than engineered stone) you must:
    • use a continuous flow of water over the cutting site
    • where this is not practicable, then a dust suppression method plus one other silica control measure is to be used
    • where this is not practicable, on tool dust extraction plus one other silica control measure is to be used
    • where this is not reasonably practicable, just a wet suppression method or on tool extraction or a fully enclosed cabin can be used
    • and where this is not reasonably practicable, one silica control measure plus RPE can be used.

There are infringements for non-compliance.

  • For engineered stone, you must have at least a continuous flow of water plus one other silica control measure
  • For SCM, you must have at least one silica control measure in place.

In the ACT there is mandatory training for those who work with crystalline silica materials.

Work Health and Safety (Crystalline Silica Awareness Training Course and Occupations) Declaration 2023 (the declaration) commenced in July 2022. Under this law, all workers in the specified occupations and those who are reasonably expected to be exposed to airborne silica dust as part of their work must complete 10830NAT – Course in Crystalline Silica Exposure Prevention before 1 October 2023.

For further information on what occupations and tasks can lead to silica exposure read here at Silica occupations and task exposure.

You can find training providers at training.gov.au - 10830NAT - Course in Crystalline Silica Exposure Prevention.

WorkSafe ACT has begun work on updating the Guidance note for managing silica dust at construction sites to reflect the changes.

The ACT Government has released a fact sheet on the new silica dust safety regulations for the ACT.

PCBUs must supply the relevant personal protective equipment (PPE) that is needed to manage risks. This includes RPE which must be properly fit tested and maintained. WorkSafe ACT is a partner of RESP-FIT which provides information about fit testing and a portal where accredited fit testers can be accessed.

Industry and Task Silica Factsheets

For more information on the new regulations for Silica, WorkSafe ACT has published the following industry and task factsheets:

Labelling and safety data sheets

Manufacturers and importers of products containing silica must determine if workers can be exposed to silica dust when working with their products e.g. when cutting. Where exposure to silica dust can occur, products must be appropriately labelled and is necessary, safety data sheets (SDS) provided.

A PCBU must also obtain a copy of the SDS and make it readily accessible to workers.

Some products may not require a label and SDS. In these cases, if silica dust is generated when using the products, safety information should be provided in the product safety sheet.

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