Safe Work Australia’s New Silica Dust Code of Practice 2025 – What Businesses Must Know

Rebekah McCutcheon
Sep 1
4 min read

Updated: Sep 2

Safe Work Australia has released the updated Model Code of Practice (August 2025) for managing the risks associated with respirable crystalline silica (RCS). With the new silica dust Code of Practice, we answer what businesses must know. These new requirements raise the bar for compliance, worker protection, and industry accountability.

If your workplace involves silica dust, from cutting concrete to tunnelling through sandstone, these changes directly affect you.

Download a copy of the model Code of Practice Managing risks of respirable crystalline silica in the workplace.

What is Respirable Crystalline Silica (RCS) and Why is it Dangerous?

Safe Work Australia’s New Silica Dust Code of Practice 2025 Respirable Silica Dust (RCS) — Picture Credit: CCOHS

Respirable crystalline silica (RCS) is a dust particle that is extremely small, less than 10 micrometres in diameter, often smaller than 2.5 µm. This places them in the respirable dust category. Due to their ultra-fine size, they can travel deep into the lungs and reach the alveoli, where oxygen exchange takes place. Unlike larger dust particles that the body can filter out in the nose and throat, respirable dust particles bypass these defences. Some can even enter the bloodstream, creating risks that extend beyond the lungs.

One of the most common and harmful respirable particles in Australian workplaces is respirable crystalline silica (RCS). RCS is generated when materials such as concrete, bricks, tiles, engineered stone, and sandstone are cut, drilled, ground, or polished. Ongoing exposure can cause silicosis, lung cancer, and other life-threatening diseases.

You can read more about the inhalable and respirable particles in our Silica Dust blog.

The new silica dust Code of Practice makes it clear: all silica-related diseases are preventable if exposure is eliminated or strictly controlled.

Key Changes in the Silica Dust Code of Practice 2025

Exposure Standard Becomes a Workplace Exposure Limit (WEL)

Current exposure standard: 0.05 mg/m³ (8-hour TWA).
From 1 December 2026, this becomes a Workplace Exposure Limit (WEL).
Employers must not only meet the limit but also keep exposure as low as reasonably practicable.
SafeWork Australia - WEL

SafeWork Australia High-Risk Silica Processing Requires a Risk Control Plan

Processing crystalline silica substances (CSS), such as those used in cutting, grinding, tunnelling, or blasting, is now more tightly regulated.

If the work is high risk, businesses must:

Develop a Silica Risk Control Plan before starting.
Conduct air monitoring to measure dust levels.
Provide health monitoring for exposed workers.
Deliver silica training as part of induction and refresher programs.

The silica dust Code of Practice says, "If you are uncertain whether work is high risk, you must assume it is."

Hierarchy of Controls – RPE Alone Is Not Enough

The new Code emphasises that respirators cannot be the only protection. The hierarchy of controls must be applied:

Hierarchy of controls diagram for silica dust compliance.

Elimination: remove silica risks completely if possible.
Substitution: use low-silica materials or alternative processes.
Isolation: enclosures, barriers, and exclusion zones.
Engineering Controls: water suppression, on-tool dust extraction, local exhaust ventilation.
Administrative Controls: safe work procedures, housekeeping, job rotation.
Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE): only as a last line of defence.

Engineered Stone Ban

All work with engineered stone is prohibited, except in limited cases such as removal, repair, or disposal of legacy engineered stone.
Any permitted legacy work must be notified to the regulator.

This ban reflects the extreme health risks of engineered stone, which often contains more than 90% crystalline silica.

Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE) – Fit Testing Is Mandatory

When respirators are required, the Code enforces strict standards:

RPE must comply with AS/NZS 1715:2009 and AS/NZS 1716:2012.
Workers must undergo fit testing and fit checking.
Employers must provide training, maintenance, and record-keeping.
RPE can only be used as the sole control measure when no higher-order control is reasonably practicable.

Fit testing the Sundstrom SR100 half face

Tight-fitting respiratory protective equipment (RPE) must be fit-tested. Learn about the different types of RPE and what does and doesn't require a mask fit test here.

What Does the New Silica Dust Model Code of Practice Mean for Businesses?

If your workplace uses or processes any crystalline silica substance (CSS) – from concrete and bricks to tiles and mortar, you must:

Review and upgrade your dust control measures.
Identify and document high-risk tasks.
Implement a Silica Risk Control Plan.
Arrange air monitoring and health monitoring where required.
Provide silica awareness training for your workforce.
Keep records of fit testing, monitoring, and control plans.

Refer to the SafeWork Australia Silica Dust Code of Practice to gain more information.

Protecting Workers and Staying Compliant

The updated Safe Work Australia Silica Dust Code of Practice 2025 makes one thing clear: businesses can no longer rely on respirators alone. Controls must start at the source of the hazard, with respirable crystalline silica treated as a critical risk.

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