The workplace exposure standard (WES) for respirable coal dust has been reduced from 3 mg/m³ to 1.5 mg/m³.

Use and share this stakeholder kit to help promote the Be Silica Smart campaign. The kit includes key messages, social media content, posters, information about translated resources, and links to further information.

Share this social media tile on your channels to promote the Be Silica Smart campaign and raise awareness of silica risks.

Share this social media tile on your channels to promote the Be Silica Smart campaign and raise awareness of silica risks.

Share this social media tile on your channels to promote the Be Silica Smart campaign and raise awareness of silica risks.

Add this banner to your email signature block to promote the Be Silica Smart campaign and raise awareness of silica risks.

Add this banner to your communication materials to promote the Be Silica Smart campaign and raise awareness of silica risks.

Add this banner to your communication materials to promote the Be Silica Smart campaign and raise awareness of silica risks.

Use this poster to promote the translated information available on the Be Silica Smart website, including resources in Mandarin, Arabic, Vietnamese, Korean and Hazaragi.

Display this poster in your workplace to highlight activities that can produce silica dust and raise awareness of silica risks.

Display this poster in your workplace, featuring workers from different industries, to raise awareness about silica risks.

Display this poster in your workplace to raise awareness about silica risks and the importance of being silica smart.

This template is designed to help document details of any processing of a crystalline silica substance that is high risk, and the control measures used to manage the risks.

PCBUs intending to process a crystalline silica substance must assess and document if the processing of a crystalline silica substance is high risk, before commencing work. This template is designed to help document this assessment.  

Case studies of how to assess if the processing of crystalline silica substances is high risk and examples of appropriate control measures to manage the risks. 

Guidance to assist PCBUs to comply with their requirements under the WHS Regulations to maintain respiratory protective equipment (RPE) to minimise the risk of respirable crystalline silica exposure. 

A checklist designed to assist PCBUs to comply with their requirements under the WHS Regulations to evaluate a respiratory protective equipment (RPE) program.

Guidance about the process for obtaining an exemption from the engineered stone prohibition to carry out work involving the manufacture, supply, processing or installation of engineered stone benchtops, panels or slabs.

Examples of permitted work with legacy engineered stone and a summary of WHS duties.

This model Code of Practice provides practical guidance on how to comply with WHS duties to manage risks of working with respirable crystalline silica in the workplace. It is primarily intended for PCBUs. 

Persons carrying out a business or undertaking (PCBUs), such as employers, have a primary duty of care for the health and safety of workers and others at the workplace.

Learn about the risks of silica and keeping workers safe.

This resource outlines what additional actions you must take if your work involving silica dust is assessed as high risk.

This resource lists what to include in a silica risk control plan.

This resource outlines how to manage the risks from silica dust by using the hierarchy of control measures.

This resource covers what you must consider to assess the risks of exposure to silica dust at your workplace.

This resource outlines work activities that can produce silica dust.

This resource defines crystalline silica and respirable crystalline silica or silica dust, including how the dust is created and silica related diseases.

Flowchart for identifying and managing risks from exposure to crystalline silica.

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Where to go for more information about the engineered stone ban and your WHS obligations.

For more information see

The infographic provides information about what is and isn’t included as part of the engineered stone ban.

A flowchart of the process PCBUs must follow to notify WHS regulators of work involving legacy engineered stone.

A flowchart of the process PCBUs must follow to apply for an exemption of an engineered stone product.

Safe Work Australia has published new guidance to assist persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBUs) understand their work health and safety obligations relating to the engineered stone ban, which comes into effect on 1 July 2024.

This is the model form for PCBUs to notify the relevant WHS regulator when they intend to undertake the repair, minor modification, removal, or disposal of legacy engineered stone (permitted work with legacy engineered stone).

The workplace exposure standard (WES) for welding fumes (not otherwise classified) has been reduced from 5 mg/m³ to 1 mg/m³.

In May 2023, Safe Work Australia commissioned the University of Adelaide to undertake a literature review and gap analysis of the scientific evidence to inform recommendations related to the three options for prohibition on the use of engineered stone in Australia.

This Decision Regulation Impact Statement (Decision RIS) provides an analysis of the impact of a prohibition on the use of engineered stone under the model WHS laws.

Quotes attributable to Safe Work Australia CEO Michelle Baxter:

“I welcome the decision by WHS ministers to agree to Safe Work Australia’s recommendations on action to reduce workplace exposure to respirable crystalline silica and prevent silicosis and silica-related diseases in Austral

The workplace exposure standard (WES) for coal dust (containing less than five per cent quartz) (respirable dust) has been reduced from 3 mg/m³ to 1.5 mg/m³.

Safe Work Australia is calling for public submissions on how to best manage the respirable crystalline silica (silica dust) in Australian workplaces.

We are seeking feedback from stakeholders and the general public on the impact of regulatory and non-regulatory options to minimise exposures to respirable crystalline silica at Australian workplaces.

This page provides checklists, information sheets and case studies on occupational respiratory diseases for the manufacturing industry.

This page provides checklists, information sheets and case studies on occupational respiratory diseases for the engineered stone sector.

This page provides checklists, information sheets and case studies on occupational respiratory diseases for the construction industry.