Crystalline Silica Monitoring

Crystalline Silica Monitoring: Protecting Health, Proving Compliance

Why You Need Crystalline Silica Exposure Assessment

If your business cuts, drills, grinds or handles materials like engineered stone, concrete, bricks, or quarry dust, you’re working with products that can release respirable crystalline silica. When airborne, these tiny particles can cause irreversible lung damage or silicosis if not properly controlled. At Audiometrics & Medical Personnel, we understand that every PCBU (person conducting a business or undertaking) is now legally required to manage risks relating to silica, especially with sweeping new rules in place across NSW and Victoria.

These include:

Keeping exposure to respirable crystalline silica below the strict 0.05 mg/m³ time-weighted average set by Safe Work Australia.
Implementing continuous or regular personal air monitoring, especially for high-risk tasks or when new processes are introduced.
Registering silica-exposed workers and supporting them with ongoing health monitoring.

With Audiometrics & Medical Personnel’s expertise, exposure assessment isn’t just a box-ticking exercise. It’s genuine prevention: the earlier you identify and act on excessive silica dust, the more effectively you protect employees from devastating lung disease and shield your business from potential liability.

Types of Silica Monitoring and Expert Services We Provide

Baseline and compliance air monitoring (before start-up, after changes, ongoing schedule)
Real-time area monitoring for higher-risk projects or tasks with potential for spikes
Personal air monitoring in a worker’s breathing zone, complying with the new codes of practice
Exposure assessment for all CSS materials (not just engineered stone includes cement, asphalt, brick, tile, foundry sand)
High-risk process audits with risk assessments and written Silica Control Plans
Medical surveillance guidance and help setting up worker registers and notifications for regulators

These services are designed to complement one another. For example, air monitoring may be repeated periodically (e.g. annually or when processes change) to confirm that controls remain effective. Health surveillance is conducted whenever monitoring or risk assessment indicates a significant exposure (as mandated by WHS laws). In all cases, our approach is fully aligned with regulatory expectations and best practice.

How Audiometrics & Medical Personnel Can Help

Audiometrics & Medical Personnel provides expert silica monitoring and advice across NSW and Victoria. Our key strengths include:

Certified Hygienists. Our team includes certified occupational hygienists who are experienced in silica assessment and sampling techniques. They design and conduct the monitoring to ensure valid and defensible results.
Advanced Equipment. We use state-of-the-art air sampling pumps, calibrated cyclones and respirable dust samplers to collect accurate data under actual working conditions.
Accredited Analysis. Dust samples are analysed by NATA-accredited laboratories, using industry-standard methods (gravimetric/XRD) for crystalline silica. This guarantees reliable quantification of quartz and other forms.
Practical Expertise. Beyond numbers, we interpret results in context. Our team can explain findings to management and workers, and advise on feasible engineering and administrative controls.
Regulatory Knowledge. We stay current with WHS silica requirements in both NSW and Victoria (including any recent changes). This ensures your assessment meets all legal obligations (e.g. providing regulator reports if RCS exceeds the standard).
Comprehensive Reporting. Clients receive a clear, customised report and risk-control guidance. We include all critical parameters (sampling details, exposure calculations, recommendations) so that you can demonstrate compliance to WorkSafe inspectors if needed.

By choosing our services, PCBUs can confidently fulfil their silica management duties and protect worker health, while also demonstrating compliance with Safe Work Australia and state guidelines.

Comparison Table: Silica Monitoring vs General Dust Checks

Feature	Crystalline Silica Monitoring	General Dust Testing
Purpose	Health & legal compliance (WHS/EPA)	General house-keeping or comfort
Exposure standard	0.05 mg/m³ (8-hr TWA)	No set exposure for nuisance dust
Sampling equipment	Calibrated personal/area samplers, NATA-accredited lab analysis	Basic dust collection/pump or visual
Reporting requirements	30 years, register, medical monitoring	Minimal, not regulated
Health risks	Silicosis, lung cancer, respiratory disease	Nuisance, eye/nose throat irritation
Regulator	WorkSafe Vic, SafeWork NSW, Safe Work Australia	Not regulated above general OHS

What Does a Complete Silica Monitoring Program Include?

A robust monitoring program with Audiometrics & Medical Personnel covers:

Personal air sampling: Accurate measurement with wearable monitors during normal tasks, representing each worker’s real risk.
Area silica dust testing: Checks for background or peak exposures in different work zones.
Lab analysis: Samples sent to NATA-accredited labs for detailed crystalline silica content.
Risk profiling: Linking each exposure result to the job, process, work zone, and PPE in use.
Control recommendations: Actionable steps for ventilation, extraction, suppression, and administrative controls.
Mandatory documentation: All monitoring records stored for at least 30 years, as required under WHS law.

Industries We Serve

Silica exposure can occur in many industries. We have provided monitoring services for clients in sectors such as:

Construction & Demolition: Including concrete cutting/grinding, brick/block work, demolition dust, roadworks and tunnelling[6].
Quarrying and Mining: All forms of mineral extraction where rock and sand are handled.
Fabrication and Manufacturing: Brickworks, tile manufacturing, foundries, ceramic/glass production, and engineered stone (benchtop) fabrication[6].
Civil and Infrastructure Projects: Major projects involving cement, mortar or aggregate (e.g. dams, bridges).
Oil & Gas Drilling: Hydraulic fracturing and drilling activities that may disturb silica-containing shale.

Our Custom Silica Exposure Assessment Reports Include

After monitoring, we deliver a clear, customised report. Typical contents include:

Introduction and Scope: Description of the work activities assessed, number of samples, and duration of each sampling period.
Methodology: Details of sampling equipment (pump model, flow rates), filter media, calibration records and sampling strategy, demonstrating adherence to standards.
Exposure Results: Tables showing respirable crystalline silica concentrations for each sample (mg/m³), with calculations of time-weighted averages. Where applicable, charts or graphs illustrate exposure levels by task or location.
Comparison to Standards: Each exposure result is compared against the 0.05 mg/m³ WES. The report explicitly states whether the standard has been exceeded and the margin.
Interpretation and Discussion: We explain what the results mean for worker health and compliance. This includes any statistical analysis or considerations (e.g. variability, protective equipment).
Recommendations: Practical advice on additional or improved controls (wet cutting, ventilation, PPE) to reduce exposures. We also note regulatory actions (e.g. if an exposure exceeded the standard, we outline the requirement to notify the regulator).
Appendices: Raw data sheets, sample location photographs (if taken), chain-of-custody documentation and reference materials.

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Standards and Regulatory Guidelines

Work with crystalline silica is governed by a suite of Australian regulations and codes. Key references include:

Work Health and Safety Act and Regulations. The federal WHS Act 2011 (adopted by most states) and model WHS Regulations set general duties. In NSW these are enacted as the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 and WHS Regulation 2025. Victoria currently applies the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017 (Part 4.5 covers silica).
Exposure Standard. Safe Work Australia’s exposure standard for respirable crystalline silica (quartz, cristobalite, etc.) is 0.05 mg/m³ (8‑hour TWA). Regulators require that worker exposures not exceed this level and are controlled below half of it where possible.
Model Code of Practice (2025). Safe Work Australia’s Managing risks of respirable crystalline silica in the workplace is a model code providing detailed guidance on hazard identification, exposure monitoring and control of RCS. Although not law itself, it underpins best practice for compliance.
State Codes of Practice. For example, SafeWork NSW has published a Code of Practice for managing respirable crystalline silica from engineered stone, and WorkSafe Victoria references Codes on general construction work that include silica requirements. Employers should follow these codes when relevant.
Australian Standards. Standards AS 2985 (“Workplace atmospheres – sampling and gravimetric determination of respirable dust”) and AS/NZS 1715 (“Selection, use and maintenance of respiratory protective equipment”) are commonly applied for sampling and PPE selection.
Asbestos and Hazardous Substances Codes. Some practices for silica overlap with hazardous chemicals regulations. For example, WHS Division 6 mandates health monitoring for hazardous chemical exposure, which includes silica.

We ensure our monitoring aligns with all relevant requirements. Our reports reference these standards (including state WHS legislation and codes) and show that sampling was conducted per the correct methods. This helps clients meet their legal obligations under WorkSafe NSW, WorkSafe Victoria and Safe Work Australia frameworks.

FAQs

Who is at risk of overexposure?
Any worker cutting, polishing, grinding, drilling, demolishing, or handling materials containing more than 1% crystalline silica, this includes engineered and natural stone, cement, asphalt, tiles, bricks, even some soils.
How do I know if my workplace requires monitoring?
If your risk assessment shows tasks generate visible dust or involve high-risk CSS, monitoring is mandatory. Better to monitor proactively than get caught out after an injury or regulator visit.
What’s involved in a typical monitoring period?
Personal monitors are worn for the working shift to capture real exposures. We also test key work areas and review ventilation, giving you results matched to guidance and compliant recordkeeping.
What happens if my site exceeds the exposure standard?
Immediate corrective action is required. We’ll help you apply extra controls, investigate processes, and re-test to document compliance.
Are there penalties for non-compliance in 2025?
Absolutely. Failure to register workers in NSW or provide evidence of monitoring in Victoria is now a prosecutable offence with fines and stop-work orders. The new registry is directly checked by regulators.

Ready to take silica compliance off your worry list?

Whether you need baseline testing, ongoing monitoring, or emergency response to a compliance order, reach out for rapid, practical silica solutions that protect your people and your business reputation.

Call 03 9819 4355 or email [email protected] to discuss your site or book an expert now. All queries are confidential and handled by qualified specialists.

Service We Provide

Audiometrics and Medical Personnel ATF The Trustee for KM Future Trust

Services

Information

Phone Number

03 9819 4355

eMaill Address

[email protected]

Victoria Office

Business Centre Entrance, C4, Level 1/2 Main St, Point Cook VIC 3030, Australia

NSW Office

30 A Verri Street, Griffith, NSW 2680

Terms & Service

Crystalline Silica Monitoring