Brick, Block Cutting & Tilers Silica SWMS
Brick, block, paver, and tile cutting using angle grinders and bench saws — wet cutting, RPE programme, task rotation, bystander exclusion zones.
SWMS variants reference your state’s WHS legislation. Instant download after payment.
Cutting brick, block, pavers and masonry releases respirable crystalline silica (RCS) from materials that are high in crystalline silica — clay bricks, concrete blocks and pavers commonly run from around 20 per cent to well over half crystalline silica by mass. Brick and block saws, angle grinders with cutting discs, and bench saws all liberate the respirable fraction at high rates, and because cutting is often done repetitively on bricklaying and landscaping sites, the cumulative dose to the operator and nearby workers builds quickly. The model Work Health and Safety Regulations treat this work as processing of a crystalline silica substance, with a dedicated high-risk regime, rather than as ordinary dusty trade work.
The controlling number is the workplace exposure standard for RCS: 0.05 mg/m3 as an eight-hour time-weighted average, which must not be exceeded, and which becomes a workplace exposure limit from 1 December 2026. Processing of a crystalline silica substance is high risk where it is reasonably likely to result in a risk to health, the practical trigger being airborne RCS above half the exposure standard generated on a regular basis — a threshold that repetitive brick and block cutting readily reaches. Where the work is high risk, the duty holder must prepare a silica risk control plan, train exposed workers, conduct air monitoring, and provide health monitoring through a registered medical practitioner. The single most important control is to stop dry cutting: a water-fed brick saw or on-tool extraction keeps the dust out of the air, and this document is written on the basis that dry cutting with an angle grinder is the highest-exposure method and must be eliminated wherever practicable.
Hazards identified
10 hazards covered, sorted by priority.
Silicosis, lung cancer and chronic respiratory disease from cumulative inhalation
Very high airborne RCS at the breathing zone, many multiples above the exposure standard
Severe laceration or fragment injury to the operator and bystanders
Eye injury, facial laceration and burns to the operator and nearby workers
Permanent noise-induced hearing loss without effective hearing protection
Hand-arm vibration syndrome and permanent loss of grip and sensation
Renewed inhalation exposure where dry sweeping or compressed air is used
Back, shoulder and crush injury from repetitive and heavy lifting
Electric shock where water and powered tools combine without RCD protection
Slips, and environmental breach where slurry enters stormwater
Control measures
Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.
- 1Elimination: order bricks, blocks and pavers cut to size, or use pre-cut and modular units, so the silica-generating cutting task is not created on site.
- 2Substitution: where cuts must be made on site, use a water-fed masonry saw rather than a dry angle grinder, which is the highest-dust method for the same work.
- 3Engineering: continuous water suppression delivered to the blade at the manufacturer's specified flow as the primary control, or on-tool dust extraction through an H-class (HEPA) vacuum where water cannot be used, to keep airborne RCS below the exposure standard.
- 4Engineering: cut in a designated cutting station positioned away from other workers and downwind, with residual current device protection where water-fed tools are used near power.
- 5Administrative: assess the task for silica risk and, where repetitive cutting makes it high-risk processing of a crystalline silica substance, prepare a silica risk control plan and arrange air monitoring to confirm the controls hold below the exposure standard.
- 6Administrative: enrol workers carrying out high-risk silica work in health monitoring supervised by a registered medical practitioner, including respiratory function testing and low-dose high-resolution chest CT, and retain records confidentially for at least 30 years.
- 7Administrative: restrict access to the cutting station, sequence cutting so other trades are clear of the dust, and rotate operators to limit exposure and vibration dose.
- 8Administrative: maintain blades and guards, never remove the disc guard, and inspect cutting discs before use for cracks or damage.
- 9PPE: a fit-tested P2 half-face respirator as the minimum residual control, upgraded to a powered air-purifying respirator for extended or higher-exposure cutting, selected and maintained per AS/NZS 1715 and AS/NZS 1716.
- 10PPE: hearing protection matched to the measured noise level, eye and face protection to AS/NZS 1337.1, gloves, and Class I or Class II safety footwear with protective toecap to AS/NZS 2210.3.
- 11Administrative: all workers must hold a valid White Card (General Construction Induction Training, CPCCWHS1001) before entering any construction workplace.
- 12Administrative: conduct a daily pre-start toolbox talk covering the cutting scope, dust controls, cutting-station location and required PPE, and record attendance in the SWMS consultation section.
- 13Administrative: clean up with an H-class vacuum or wet methods only — never dry sweep or use compressed air, which re-suspends settled RCS — and contain slurry so it does not enter stormwater.
- 14Administrative: review and update this SWMS whenever the work scope changes, after any incident or near miss, when a worker or health and safety representative raises a concern, when new hazards are identified, or at minimum every 12 months.
Applicable Codes of Practice
The current national code setting out the risk assessment, silica risk control plan, air monitoring and health monitoring duties for processing crystalline silica substances such as brick, block and masonry.
Controls and the exposure standard for the high noise levels generated by masonry saws and grinders.
Selection, fit testing, use and maintenance of the P2 and powered respiratory protection required as a residual control against RCS.
Eye and face protection against ejected masonry fragments and sparks during cutting.
Protective footwear for masonry cutting and handling operations.
High-Risk Silica Work triggered
Cutting brick, block, pavers and masonry is processing of a crystalline silica substance under the model WHS Regulations. Where repetitive cutting is reasonably likely to generate airborne RCS above half the workplace exposure standard on a regular basis it is high-risk processing, which triggers the duty to prepare a silica risk control plan, train exposed workers, conduct air monitoring and provide health monitoring. This crystalline silica regime is distinct from, and additional to, the Schedule 1 high risk construction work categories.
Brick and block cutting that is high-risk processing of a crystalline silica substance carries duties to prepare and follow a silica risk control plan before the work commences, to train exposed workers in silica health risks and controls and keep training records, to conduct air monitoring where there is uncertainty that the exposure standard is met, and to provide health monitoring through a registered medical practitioner, with health monitoring records kept confidentially for at least 30 years. Air monitoring results that exceed the standard must be notified to the regulator within the prescribed period. Failure to control RCS exposure breaches the primary duty of care under the model WHS Act and is actively enforced, with offence categories running from failure-to-comply through to reckless conduct. Body-corporate maxima are substantial and indexed; the current maximum follows the prevailing schedule of the responsible regulator.
Who this is for
- →Bricklayers and blocklayers cutting brick, block and pavers on residential and commercial sites.
- →Landscapers and paving contractors cutting pavers, retaining blocks and masonry units.
- →Stonemasons and tilers making masonry cuts as part of broader works.
- →Labourers and apprentices operating brick saws and grinders under supervision.
- →PCBU safety managers and site supervisors authorising silica-generating cutting and overseeing the silica risk control plan.
What you receive
- ✓Editable Microsoft Word document (.docx) fully compatible with Microsoft Word 2016 and newer, Google Docs, and LibreOffice Writer.
- ✓Title page with editable fields for PCBU name, ABN, site address, project name, principal contractor details, and document revision date.
- ✓Hazard register with the brick and block cutting silica hazards — each with a documented consequence, inherent risk rating on a 5x5 likelihood-consequence matrix, hierarchy-of-control measures, and residual risk rating.
- ✓Silica risk control plan prompts aligned to the model crystalline silica Code of Practice, with an air-monitoring trigger and record field referencing the 0.05 mg/m3 exposure standard.
- ✓Designated cutting-station layout prompts and a respiratory protection selection and fit-test record per AS/NZS 1715.
- ✓Worker training record for silica health risks and controls, and a health monitoring prompt and register for high-risk silica workers.
- ✓Worker consultation record per the model WHS Act consultation duty and a worker sign-on register (blank, expandable).
- ✓Applicable legislation and Codes of Practice schedule pre-populated for the model WHS jurisdiction with a state-variance reference table covering the harmonised states, plus Victoria.
- ✓Emergency procedure template and a revision log.
Worked example
A bricklaying contractor is building a face-brick facade and a block retaining wall on a residential project, requiring repeated cutting of bricks and blocks across the job. Because the cutting is repetitive and runs across the working week, the supervisor assesses it as high-risk processing of a crystalline silica substance, prepares a silica risk control plan, and arranges air monitoring on a representative day to confirm the controls hold below the exposure standard. A designated cutting station is set up away from the laying crew and downwind, fitted with a water-fed brick saw plumbed to deliver water to the blade, with residual current device protection on the supply because water and power are present together. The operator wears a fit-tested P2 respirator, hearing protection matched to the saw noise, and a face shield over safety glasses, and is rotated off the saw through the day to limit exposure and vibration. Other trades are kept clear of the cutting station, off-cuts are managed, and slurry is contained so it does not run to the stormwater drain. At the end of the shift the station and surrounds are cleaned with an H-class vacuum rather than swept. Personal monitoring returns a result below the exposure standard, the result and the worker's silica training are recorded, and the operator is enrolled in health monitoring with a registered medical practitioner.
Related legislation
- Model Work Health and Safety Act — primary duty of care; the duty to consult workers; the reckless-conduct offence; and notifiable-incident provisions, as enacted in each jurisdiction.
- Model Work Health and Safety Regulations — the crystalline silica provisions governing processing of a crystalline silica substance, the high-risk processing definition, the silica risk control plan, training, air monitoring and health monitoring, as enacted in each jurisdiction.
- Workplace exposure standard for respirable crystalline silica: 0.05 mg/m3 (eight-hour time-weighted average), which must not be exceeded; reframed as a workplace exposure limit from 1 December 2026.
- From 1 September 2024, stronger regulation of work with all materials containing at least 1 per cent crystalline silica across all industries.
- Victoria operates under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 and the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017, with the silica provisions and Compliance Codes applying in place of the model instruments.
Frequently asked questions
Is cutting a few bricks dry really a problem?
Even short bursts of dry cutting with an angle grinder produce very high concentrations of respirable crystalline silica at the breathing zone, and the harm is cumulative across a working life. The crystalline silica provisions require the risk to be controlled regardless of how brief any single cut is, so water suppression or on-tool extraction should be used for all cutting rather than reserved for large jobs.
When does brick and block cutting become high-risk processing of a crystalline silica substance?
Processing of a crystalline silica substance is high risk where it is reasonably likely to result in a risk to health, with the practical indicator being airborne respirable crystalline silica above half the exposure standard generated on a regular basis. Repetitive brick and block cutting across a job will usually meet that threshold, triggering the duty to prepare a silica risk control plan, train workers, conduct air monitoring and provide health monitoring.
What respiratory protection should brick and block cutters wear?
At minimum a fit-tested P2 half-face respirator, upgraded to a powered air-purifying respirator for extended or higher-exposure cutting, selected and maintained per AS/NZS 1715 and AS/NZS 1716. Respiratory protection is a residual control beneath water suppression and on-tool extraction and manages the exposure that remains after those engineering controls are applied.
Why can't we dry sweep the cutting area at the end of the day?
Dry sweeping and compressed air re-suspend the fine respirable crystalline silica that has settled, creating a fresh inhalation hazard after cutting has stopped. Clean-up must use an H-class (HEPA) vacuum or wet methods so the settled dust is captured rather than returned to the air.
Does the engineered stone ban affect brick and block cutting?
No. The prohibition that commenced on 1 July 2024 applies to engineered stone benchtops, panels and slabs. Brick, block and masonry are separate crystalline silica substances and are not banned, but cutting them is subject to the strengthened crystalline silica provisions that apply to all materials containing at least one per cent crystalline silica.