Crystalline Silica Substance Risk Control Plan SWMS
Overarching crystalline silica substance risk control plan for PCBUs. Air monitoring, health surveillance, control hierarchy, worker information and training.
SWMS variants reference your state’s WHS legislation. Instant download after payment.
Crystalline silica is a Schedule 14 hazardous chemical under the Work Health and Safety Regulations and one of the most heavily regulated airborne contaminants in Australian workplaces. Any PCBU whose workers cut, grind, drill, polish, crush, sand, or otherwise disturb materials containing respirable crystalline silica (RCS) — including engineered stone, natural stone, concrete, brick, tile, autoclaved aerated concrete, fibre cement, mortar, and silica-bearing minerals — must have a documented substance risk control plan that integrates air monitoring, health surveillance, the hierarchy of controls, and worker training. This Crystalline Silica Substance Risk Control Plan SWMS is the overarching governance document that ties those elements together for a PCBU operating across multiple sites or work activities.
The legal framework is set by the model WHS Act 2011 and WHS Regulations (with state variants in NSW, QLD, VIC, WA, SA, TAS, ACT and NT), supported by the Safe Work Australia Code of Practice: Working with Crystalline Silica Substances (2020) and the model Code Managing Risks of Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace. The Workplace Exposure Standard (WES) for respirable crystalline silica is 0.05 mg/m³ as an 8-hour TWA, and from 1 July 2024 the manufacture, supply, processing and installation of engineered stone is prohibited under nationally harmonised regulations. Where work meets the definition of crystalline silica process under the Regulations, additional duties are triggered including written exposure assessments, control reviews and mandatory health monitoring under Schedule 14.
A SWMS is legally required whenever the work falls within any of the 18 (now 19) categories of High Risk Construction Work under r.291 of the WHS Regulation — and crystalline silica dust work is captured directly under HRCW Category 19 in jurisdictions that have adopted the silica-specific HRCW amendment. Even outside construction, sections 19, 20, 21 and 274 of the WHS Act impose primary duties on PCBUs to eliminate or minimise exposure so far as is reasonably practicable, with documented systems of work. This plan provides that documented system.
Hazards identified
13 hazards covered, sorted by priority.
Silicosis (acute, accelerated or chronic), progressive massive fibrosis, irreversible lung function loss and premature death
Statutory non-compliance under r.49 of the WHS Regulation, regulator prosecution and worker overexposure
Fatal malignancy, workers' compensation claims and PCBU liability under WHS Act s.31 reckless conduct
Permanent systemic illness, long-latency disease emergence, compensation and reputational damage
Breach of r.50 WHS Regulation, inability to verify control effectiveness, undetected overexposure
Breach of r.368 and Schedule 14, missed early disease detection, regulator improvement/prohibition notice
Real-world protection factor far below assigned, continued worker exposure despite apparent compliance
Visible dust generation many times the WES, secondary contamination of workplace and PPE
Take-home exposure to family members, contamination of amenities, breach of r.42 facilities duty
Re-aerosolisation of settled RCS, exposure spikes during cleaning tasks, prohibited practice under the COP
Breach of r.39 WHS Regulation, workers unable to recognise hazards or use controls correctly
Breach of r.50 and r.371, inability to defend latent disease claims, regulator enforcement
Breach of consultation, cooperation and coordination duty under WHS Act s.46, shared liability for exposures
Control measures
Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.
- 1ELIMINATE silica exposure where reasonably practicable — substitute silica-containing materials with low-silica alternatives (<1% crystalline silica) and prohibit engineered stone fabrication in line with the national ban effective 1 July 2024.
- 2SUBSTITUTE high-silica products with verified low-silica alternatives and require suppliers to provide current Safety Data Sheets disclosing crystalline silica content by percentage and form (quartz, cristobalite, tridymite).
- 3ENGINEERING CONTROLS — mandate integrated water suppression (wet cutting) on all silica-disturbing tools, on-tool LEV captured to H-class HEPA extraction, enclosed cabins with HEPA filtered positive-pressure ventilation, and isolation of dust-generating tasks from other workers.
- 4ADMINISTRATIVE CONTROLS — implement a written Exposure Assessment Report under the SWA COP, rotate workers to limit cumulative exposure, restrict access to dust zones, and prohibit dry sweeping, dry cutting and compressed air cleaning.
- 5RPE — select minimum P2 half-face respirators for tasks <10× WES, full-face P3 or PAPR for higher exposures, conduct annual quantitative fit testing to AS/NZS 1715:2009 and maintain a written RPE program.
- 6AIR MONITORING — engage a Certified Occupational Hygienist or licensed laboratory (NATA-accredited to AS 2985) to conduct personal RCS monitoring at task commencement, after any control change, and at minimum annually; results communicated to workers within 14 days under r.50.
- 7HEALTH MONITORING — arrange pre-placement and ongoing health monitoring through a registered medical practitioner experienced in silicosis, including respiratory questionnaire, spirometry to ATS/ERS standards, and low-dose HRCT chest scan in line with Schedule 14 requirements.
- 8TRAINING — deliver SafeWork-recognised silica awareness training to all exposed workers covering health effects, controls, RPE use, fit testing, decontamination and the worker's right to health monitoring; refresher training annually and on control changes.
- 9DECONTAMINATION — provide separate clean and dirty change areas, on-site laundering or disposable coveralls, boot-wash facilities, and prohibit silica-contaminated clothing leaving the workplace.
- 10RECORD KEEPING — retain air monitoring results, health monitoring reports, training records, fit test records and SWMS sign-on for a minimum 30 years per r.50 and r.371; provide copies to workers on request.
- 11CONSULTATION — consult workers and HSRs under WHS Act s.47-49 during risk assessment, control selection and review; coordinate with contractors and other PCBUs under s.46.
- 12REVIEW — review controls under r.38 after any incident, exposure exceedance, change in work, new information, or at minimum every two years.
Applicable Codes of Practice
Primary duty of care, officer due diligence and consultation duties applicable to silica risk management
Crystalline silica process duties, exposure standard, air monitoring, health monitoring and record-keeping requirements
Approved code outlining hazard identification, risk assessment, control selection and the written exposure assessment requirement
General framework for SDS, labelling, register and risk control for hazardous chemicals including silica
Sets the 0.05 mg/m³ 8-hour TWA WES for respirable crystalline silica which must not be exceeded
Mandatory reference for RPE program design including fit testing and assigned protection factors
Performance standard for compliant P2/P3 filters and PAPR equipment
Required sampling method for personal RCS air monitoring
Complementary inspirable dust sampling for total dust assessment
High-Risk Construction Work triggered
Any work activity governed by this risk control plan involves the disturbance of crystalline silica substances generating respirable dust. Under jurisdictions that have adopted the silica HRCW amendment (Category 19), this automatically triggers the SWMS requirement under r.291. Even where a state has not yet codified Category 19, the underlying construction work on silica materials falls within existing categories such as work in confined spaces, work involving the disturbance of asbestos-equivalent hazardous chemicals, and work where there is a risk of a person being exposed to a substance that may cause permanent injury or death.
Because the work is HRCW, a SWMS must be prepared before the work commences (r.299), made available for inspection at the workplace (r.300), reviewed and revised when controls are inadequate or work changes (r.302), and stopped immediately if the SWMS is not being complied with (r.303). Failure to prepare or comply with a SWMS for HRCW carries penalties of up to $6,000 for an individual and $30,000 for a body corporate per breach, with significantly higher penalties under WHS Act Category 1 and 2 offences where exposure causes death or serious illness.
Who this is for
- →PCBUs and Directors with primary duty under WHS Act s.19 who manage workplaces where crystalline silica substances are processed, handled or disturbed
- →WHS Managers and HSE Advisors developing or reviewing organisational silica exposure control programs across multiple sites
- →Construction and demolition principal contractors coordinating subcontractors who cut, grind or drill concrete, brick, tile or stone
- →Stonemasonry, monumental masonry and natural stone fabricators (engineered stone work being prohibited from 1 July 2024)
- →Tunnelling, civil construction and quarrying PCBUs with workers exposed to silica-bearing rock
- →Manufacturing operations involving foundry sand, abrasive blasting media, ceramics, refractories or glass
- →Officers exercising due diligence under WHS Act s.27 who require documented evidence of silica risk management
What you receive
- ✓Editable Microsoft Word (DOCX) Crystalline Silica Substance Risk Control Plan SWMS — fully customisable to your operations, ABN and project details
- ✓State-specific legislation schedule covering NSW, QLD, VIC, WA, SA, TAS, ACT and NT WHS Regulations and silica-specific amendments
- ✓Comprehensive hazard register with 13 pre-populated silica-related hazards, consequences and risk priorities
- ✓Worker sign-on register meeting r.300 requirements for SWMS acknowledgement and consultation evidence
- ✓Pre-built control matrix mapped to the hierarchy of controls under r.36
- ✓Written exposure assessment template aligned to the SWA Crystalline Silica Code of Practice
- ✓Air monitoring and health monitoring scheduling tracker
- ✓RPE program template including fit-test record and respirator selection table
- ✓Integrated review and revision log to satisfy r.302 review triggers
- ✓Free lifetime updates whenever the WHS Regulation, WES or silica COP changes
Worked example
A mid-sized civil construction PCBU operating across three NSW infrastructure sites engages workers to core-drill, saw-cut and grind reinforced concrete with quartz aggregate. The WHS Manager downloads this Crystalline Silica Substance Risk Control Plan SWMS and customises Section 3 to list the specific tasks (wet core drilling, road saw cutting, hand grinding of concrete kerbs) and the silica content of each material as disclosed on supplier SDS (typically 25-40% quartz). She schedules a Certified Occupational Hygienist to conduct personal RCS air monitoring on the first week of works under AS 2985, with results indicating the grinder operator at 0.08 mg/m³ — exceeding the WES. Using the documented review trigger in the SWMS, the PCBU immediately upgrades that task from a P2 half-face respirator to a PAPR with P3 hood, mandates on-tool water suppression at 0.5 L/min minimum, and re-tests within 30 days achieving 0.02 mg/m³. All workers performing the work are enrolled in health monitoring with a registered medical practitioner including baseline spirometry and HRCT, with results retained for 30 years. The signed SWMS, monitoring reports, fit-test records and training certificates are produced when SafeWork NSW conducts a proactive silica inspection — the inspector closes out without notice, citing the documented system as exemplary due diligence under WHS Act s.27.
Related legislation
- Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Cth model) and corresponding state Acts
- Work Health and Safety Regulations — Chapter 7 Hazardous Chemicals and Schedule 14
- Work Health and Safety Amendment (Engineered Stone) Regulations 2024
- Safe Work Australia Code of Practice: Working with Crystalline Silica Substances (2020)
- Safe Work Australia Code of Practice: Managing Risks of Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace
- Safe Work Australia Code of Practice: How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks
- Workplace Exposure Standards for Airborne Contaminants (current edition)
- AS/NZS 1715:2009 and AS/NZS 1716:2012 Respiratory Protective Equipment
- AS 2985:2009 Sampling and gravimetric determination of respirable dust
- Workers Compensation legislation and dust diseases schemes (e.g. icare Dust Diseases Care NSW)
Frequently asked questions
Does this SWMS cover engineered stone work?
From 1 July 2024, the manufacture, supply, processing and installation of engineered stone benchtops, panels and slabs is prohibited nationally under harmonised WHS amendments. This SWMS does not authorise prohibited engineered stone fabrication. It does cover legacy removal, repair and disposal work where transitional arrangements apply under your jurisdiction's regulator notification requirements, and all other crystalline silica substances including natural stone, concrete, brick, tile and mortar.
Is air monitoring legally mandatory or just recommended?
Under r.50 of the WHS Regulation, air monitoring is mandatory whenever the PCBU is uncertain whether airborne concentration exceeds the WES, or where monitoring is needed to determine whether there is a risk to health. For most silica-disturbing work the regulator's position — confirmed in the SWA Code of Practice — is that initial monitoring must be performed because exposures are unpredictable and frequently exceed 0.05 mg/m³. Records must be kept for 30 years.
Who needs health monitoring and how often?
Any worker carrying out 'crystalline silica process' work as defined in Schedule 14 must be provided with health monitoring under r.368 at the PCBU's cost. This includes pre-placement assessment, then ongoing monitoring at intervals determined by the registered medical practitioner — typically every 1-2 years and including respiratory questionnaire, spirometry and, where indicated, HRCT chest imaging. Reports must be provided to the worker and retained for 30 years.
Can workers refuse to wear RPE if engineering controls are in place?
RPE is the lowest level of the hierarchy of controls and must not be relied on as the sole control. However, where residual exposure may still occur — such as during tool start-up, control failure or non-routine tasks — RPE remains mandatory. Workers must be fit tested annually under AS/NZS 1715, must be clean-shaven where tight-fitting respirators are used, and the PCBU must maintain a documented RPE program. Refusal to wear required RPE is a breach of the worker's duty under WHS Act s.28.
How does this overarching plan interact with task-specific SWMS?
This document is the substance risk control plan — the strategic, organisation-wide framework for managing crystalline silica. It sits above task-specific SWMS such as 'concrete cutting', 'tile removal' or 'core drilling'. The control plan defines exposure standards, monitoring regimes, training requirements and RPE programs that all task-level SWMS must align with. PCBUs typically maintain both: this plan plus task SWMS for each HRCW activity.
Are state requirements really different, or is silica law harmonised?
The model WHS Act and Regulations are largely harmonised, but key silica-specific provisions vary. Victoria operates under OHS Act 2004 with its own silica regulations and licensing scheme. Queensland has additional Notifiable Dust Lung Disease Register obligations. NSW SafeWork has issued silica-specific Codes. Western Australia transitioned to the model laws in 2022 with some local amendments. The included state schedule maps your obligations to the correct jurisdiction.