Silica Dust Toolbox Talk
When you cut, grind or drill concrete, brick, tile or stone, you make a fine dust you cannot see that goes deep into your lungs. Breathing it causes silicosis, lung cancer and kidney disease, and the damage cannot be undone. The dust that hurts you is the dust you cannot see, so we control it every time.
Takes about 7 minutes, plus a 5-question quiz.
What happened: a real incident
In October 2020, a WorkSafe inspector found a worker at a Knoxfield factory in Victoria dry polishing an engineered stone slab with no water, no dust extraction and no ventilation. Dust covered the floor, and none of the masks met the rules: one had no filter at all. The stone was 82 per cent crystalline silica. On appeal in 2023, the County Court recorded a conviction and raised the fine from $7,000 to $28,000.
Source: WorkSafe Victoria
Key points to read out
- Silica is in concrete, bricks, pavers, tiles, mortar, render, natural stone and engineered stone.
- Engineered stone benchtops, panels and slabs have been banned in Australia since 1 July 2024. Work on existing engineered stone still needs strict controls and must be notified to the regulator first.
- The exposure standard is 0.05 mg/m3 over 8 hours. That is a tiny amount: a pinch of fine dust spread through a room can be enough to go over it.
- Plan the job to make less dust: order materials cut to size, use block splitters, and choose tools that do not need cutting at all.
- Control dust at the source: use water suppression or on-tool extraction connected to the right class vacuum every time you cut.
- Check the extraction is working before you start: hose connected, filter clean, bag not full and the flow alarm not going off.
- Keep the water running on wet cutters. A dry blade on a wet saw makes as much dust as a dry saw.
- Wear at least a fitted P2 respirator as well as using water or extraction.
- Tight fitting masks need a fit test and a clean shave. Stubble breaks the seal.
- Never dry sweep or blow dust off with compressed air. Use a vacuum or wet clean up.
- Cut in the open or away from others, and keep people out of the dust cloud.
- Change out of dusty clothes before you go home, and wash hands and face before eating.
- Ask about health monitoring if you regularly cut or grind these materials.
- Silicosis can show up years after the work, and early on you feel fine. By the time you are short of breath, the damage is done.
Questions to ask the crew
- Which materials on this job contain silica?
- What dust controls are on the tools we are using today?
- When were you last fit tested for your mask?
- How should we clean up the dust at the end of the day?
- Who else is working near our cutting today, and how do we keep them out of the dust?
Reference: WHS Regulations, Chapter 7 (Hazardous chemicals) and the engineered stone prohibition from 1 July 2024
How to run this talk
- Run the talk at the cutting station, with the saw or grinder you actually use and its water feed or extraction.
- Hold up a bag of cement or a paver and ask which materials on this job contain silica.
- Show how to check the extraction: hose on, filter clean, bag not full, flow alarm working.
- Have each person check their mask seal, and note who needs a fit test or a shave.
- Agree where cutting happens today and how other trades will be kept out of the dust.
- Record attendance and any actions, such as fit tests due, on the sign-in sheet.
Silica Dust quiz
Ask these after the talk. Answers are underneath each question.
Which of these materials can give off silica dust when you cut it?
- Concrete, brick, tile and stone
- Timber only
- Plasterboard only
- Steel
Answer: A. Silica is in most masonry and stone products, so any cutting, grinding or drilling of them makes silica dust.
You are about to cut pavers with a saw. Which control comes first?
- A dust mask on its own
- Water suppression or on-tool extraction on the saw
- Cutting faster to get it over with
- Working with your back to the wind
Answer: B. Stopping the dust at the blade protects you and everyone nearby; a mask only protects the wearer and is the last line of defence.
Your mask is a tight fitting half face respirator. What stops it working?
- Wearing safety glasses
- Stubble or a beard under the seal
- Wearing it for more than an hour
Answer: B. Even a day of stubble breaks the seal, letting dusty air leak in around the edges.
It is the end of the day and there is fine dust all over the floor. How do you clean it up?
- Sweep it into a pile
- Blow it out with compressed air
- Vacuum it with a suitable vacuum or wet it down and clean up
- Leave it for the cleaners
Answer: C. Dry sweeping and compressed air throw the finest dust back into the air you breathe.
You feel fine after years of cutting concrete. What does that tell you about silicosis?
- You are immune
- Nothing, because silicosis can take years to show and early on there are no symptoms
- You only need a mask in summer
Answer: B. By the time you are short of breath the lung damage is permanent, so controls matter even when you feel healthy.
Questions about silica dust
What is the exposure limit for silica dust?
The limit for respirable crystalline silica is 0.05 mg/m³ averaged over 8 hours, and it stays at that level when the new workplace exposure limits start on 1 December 2026. Safe Work Australia's September 2026 silica action plan confirms it.
What mask do you need for silica dust?
At least a fit tested P2 respirator, worn as well as water suppression or on-tool extraction. Higher risk tasks, such as work on legacy engineered stone, need higher protection like a powered air purifying respirator (PAPR).
How do you control silica dust when cutting concrete or brick?
Use water suppression or on-tool extraction every time you cut, grind or drill, and plan the job to cut less. Keep other people away from the work, clean up with a vacuum or wet methods, and wear a fitted respirator as the last line of defence.
How long does it take to get silicosis?
Most silicosis develops after 10 or more years of exposure, but heavy exposure can cause accelerated silicosis within 5 to 10 years, and very high exposure can cause acute silicosis within months. Engineered stone workers have been diagnosed in their 20s and 30s. There is no cure, so prevention is the only protection.
What the law says in Australia
Since 1 July 2024 it has been banned to make, supply, process or install engineered stone benchtops, panels and slabs, and work on legacy stone must be notified to the regulator. Respirable crystalline silica has a workplace exposure standard of 0.05 mg/m3 averaged over 8 hours. Where the risk cannot be removed, employers must provide properly fitted respirators and health monitoring for workers with ongoing exposure.
Source: SafeWork NSW
Sign-in sheet
Print this page or download the sign-in sheet. Or run it in the app and the crew signs on the phone.
| Name | Company | Signature |
|---|---|---|
Get it signed
Run this talk in the app. The crew signs on your phone and you get a dated attendance record as a PDF.