Silica dust testing

Who needs silica monitoring

• Construction and demolition crews cutting concrete, brick and tiles
• Stonemasons and benchtop fabricators working with natural stone
• Quarrying, tunnelling and mining
• Foundries, ceramics and brick manufacturing
• Road works and civil construction

How monitoring works

1. We review tasks, controls and work patterns to plan representative sampling.
2. Workers wear a small pump and cyclone sampler in their breathing zone for a full shift.
3. Static samples may be added to check specific processes or areas.
4. A NATA accredited laboratory analyses the filters.
5. You receive results against the exposure standard with recommendations on controls.

Your duties

Employers must ensure workers are not exposed above the workplace exposure standard and must carry out air monitoring if they are uncertain whether exposure exceeds it. Health monitoring is also required in some circumstances. Monitoring gives you evidence your controls work.