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
Between 2020 and 2021, HSE inspectors visited a building site in Dalston, east London, four times over 13 months and found workers exposed to large amounts of silica dust, as well as wood dust and work at height risks. The failures were so serious that the site was shut down twice and nine enforcement notices were served. In March 2025 the property developer was fined £63,000 at Southwark Crown Court and ordered to pay £88,812.68 in total.
Source: Health and Safety Executive (archived press release)
Key points to read out
- Silica is in concrete, bricks, pavers, tiles, mortar, render, natural stone and engineered stone.
- Engineered stone has very high silica content and is especially dangerous to cut.
- The workplace exposure limit is 0.1 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. COSHH says stop the dust first, masks last.
- 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: M or H class vacuum, hose connected, filter clean 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 a fitted FFP3 mask 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: Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH)
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 to an M or H class vacuum
- 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 workplace exposure limit for respirable crystalline silica is 0.1 mg/m³ averaged over 8 hours, set in HSE's EH40. Under COSHH, employers must also reduce exposure as low as is reasonably practicable, not just below the limit.
What mask do you need for silica dust?
HSE recommends at least an FFP3 disposable mask or a half mask with P3 filters, fit tested and worn with a clean shave. It must be used as well as water or on-tool extraction, not instead of them.
How do you control silica dust when cutting concrete or brick?
Use water suppression or on-tool extraction to an M or H class vacuum every time you cut, grind or drill, and plan the job to cut less. COSHH puts dust control at source first and masks last.
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 United Kingdom
COSHH requires employers to prevent exposure to hazardous dust or, where that is not reasonably practicable, to control it adequately, starting at the source with water or on-tool extraction and using masks only as the last line of protection. Respirable crystalline silica must be kept below the workplace exposure limit of 0.1 mg/m3 averaged over 8 hours.
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.