Construction
Silica in construction refers to crystalline silica found in common materials like concrete, brick, stone, and engineered stone, which becomes a serious inhalation hazard as invisible, fine dust (RCS) when cut, ground, or drilled, potentially causing incurable lung diseases requiring strict control measures like wet cutting, ventilation, RPE, and training to protect workers.
Toolbox Talk: Silica in Construction - SafeWork NSW (external site) (PDF)
Mining and Quarrying
At mine and quarry sites, a number of operational processes produce dust, such as extraction, crushing, screening and stockpiling. When weather conditions are dry, hot and windy, the risk of dust generation and transport increases.
The minerals extracted from mines and quarries vary greatly from site to site regarding the amount of silica materials present in the rock. The higher the proportion of silica in the rock, the higher the proportion of fine crystalline silica that can be expected in the total airborne particles.
Further links:
Silicosis_in_mining_and_quarrying_in_South_Australia-updated-2023-WEL-0.05.pdf (external site) (PDF) - Department of Energy and Mining
CCAA_Management_of_RCS_in_Quarries_Guidelines_July2021_Singles.pdf (external site) (PDF)- Cement Concrete & Aggregates Australia
Preventing Dust Diseases | MAQOHSC (external site)- South Australian Mining and Quarrying OHS Committee
Controlling the risk of dust exposure to workers in mines | Business Queensland - (external site)Business Queensland
Management of dust containing crystalline silica (quartz) | Resources Safety & Health Queensland (external site)- Business Queensland