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Crystalline Silica is found in natural and man-made materials such as engineered stone, granite and sandstone as well as building materials such as concrete, bricks, tiles and mortar. Excessive exposure to fine dust created when these materials are cut, ground, drilled or polished can lead to potentially deadly health conditions such as silicosis or lung cancer.
Under OHS/ WHS Regulations, you have specific duties to manage the risks to health and safety when employees are using, handling, generating and storing hazardous chemicals, including silica. You must ensure that your employees are not exposed to Respirable Crystalline Silica dust at a level above the exposure standards for airborne contaminants set by Work Safe Australia.
Air monitoring must be conducted if there is any uncertainty that the exposure standard is being exceeded or to find out if there is a risk to a worker's health. Ongoing health monitoring may then be required.
Crystalline Silica is a risk to health when respirable dust is generated, becomes airborne and is inhaled. The assessment of health risk is a critical part of determining the need for and level of control required to make the products and processes safe and prevent exposures capable of triggering silicosis. JTA’s experienced and skilled Occupational Hygienists can conduct air monitoring using specialised equipment which separates the fine particles of interest from other dusts. The samples are then analysed to identify the concentration of Crystalline Silica in the collected dust enabling us to measure the concentration of respirable silica in a workers’ breathing zone, identify high risk exposures and advise on suitable, effective, practicable controls.
Crystalline Silica Monitoring Includes:
Silica is silicon dioxide, a naturally occurring widely abundant mineral that forms the major component of most rocks and soils. There are non-crystalline and crystalline forms of silica.
Non-crystalline silica does not cause lung damage whilst small crystalline silica dust particles are hazardous as they can penetrate into the lungs and lead to lung damage and disease.
Crystalline silica is normally safe to handle and not a risk to the health of your workers when it is in a solid form and left undisturbed. However, it becomes a hazard when the material containing it is disturbed by grinding, sawing or drilling. These activities then create very fine silica dust which becomes airborne and is easily inhaled by workers and is known as Respirable Crystalline Silica.
Exposure to Respirable Crystalline Silica can lead to serious respiratory diseases such as silicosis, progressive massive fibrosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic bronchitis, and lung cancer. Respirable Crystalline Silica also increases the risk of developing chronic kidney disease, autoimmune disorders, and other adverse health effects.
The Engineered Stone Prohibition means that you must not process, or direct or allow a worker to process engineered stone unless the processing of the stone or product is controlled. For processing to be controlled you must put in place control measures to eliminate or minimise risks so far as is reasonably practicable. Control measures can include wet cutting, on-tool dust removal, local exhaust ventilation, and breathing protection. In certain situations you can apply to a WHS regulator for an exemption for a type of engineered stone. Work Safe Australia has compiled an Exemption Flowchart.
The Engineered Stone Prohibition came into effect in Australia on 1st July 2024. This means that a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) must not carry out, or direct or allow a worker to carry out, work that involves the manufacture, supply, processing, or installation of engineered stone benchtops, panels, and slabs. The decision to implement this ban was in response to the unacceptable number of engineered stone workers who have developed Silicosis in Australia. As a person conducting a business, it is important to understand what this ban means for you and how you conduct your business.
The ban applies to all materials containing at least 1% crystalline silica, including engineered stone.
In relation to engineered stone, the key changes are:
You can continue to work with legacy engineered stone for limited purposes. Legacy engineered stone includes any benchtop, panel, or slab that is already installed and, for the purposes of disposal, includes engineered stone benchtops, panels and slabs whether installed or not installed (such as a stockpile).
View Safe Work Australia’s Notification Flowchart to understand when you have to notify a WHS regulator if you want to process legacy engineered stone.
Engineered stone is defined as an artificial product that:
Engineered stone does not include:
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Head Office Melboune
139 Ormond Road Elwood, VIC 3184
Mornington Peninsula
20 Lister Avenue,
Sorrento,
VIC 3943
JTA Health, Safety & Noise Specialists acknowledges the Boon Wurrung People of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land on which the home of JTA resides. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging, and acknowledge and uphold their continuing relationship to this land.
