Silica risk control plan (QLD): when you need one and what goes in it

Last reviewed 29 October 2026 · Sources linked below · Written by Jay at Andwat Co, an Australian boilermaker/fabricator (Cert III Engineering, 12+ years in the trade). About

Queensland silica dust rules from 1 September 2024: when processing of a crystalline silica substance is high risk, what a silica risk control plan must cover, wet cutting and on-tool extraction, the 0.05 mg/m³ exposure standard, health monitoring, and the engineered stone ban from 1 July 2024.

If you cut, drill, grind, chase or polish masonry, concrete, tile, fibre-cement or other materials that contain crystalline silica, Queensland's WHS rules now treat that as processing a crystalline silica substance (CSS). From 1 September 2024, WorkSafe Queensland says those rules require every CSS process to be controlled, a written assessment of whether the process is high risk, and — when it is high risk — a silica risk control plan (or a SWMS that covers the same content for high-risk construction work), plus silica training and the usual air and health monitoring duties where they apply.

This guide summarises what the official pages say. It is not legal or WHS advice. Check the current Queensland WHS Regulation and WorkSafe Queensland's silica pages before you rely on it, and adapt any template to the actual job, plant and crew.

What counts as a CSS and as "processing"

WorkSafe Queensland (and the model WHS rules Safe Work Australia explains) define a CSS as a material with at least 1% crystalline silica by weight. That covers a lot of everyday site materials: concrete, bricks, pavers, tiles, fibre-cement, sandstone, granite, porcelain products and more. An undisturbed slab or wall isn't the problem. The risk starts when processing makes dust that people can breathe.

Processing includes using power tools or mechanical plant to crush, cut, grind, trim, sand, abrasive-polish or drill a CSS, plus related activities such as roadheading, quarrying, mechanical screening, tunnelling, and other processes that are reasonably likely to expose someone to respirable crystalline silica (RCS) while manufacturing or handling a CSS — including dusty clean-up.

Every CSS process must be controlled

Whether or not you rate the job high risk, you must not process a CSS unless the processing is controlled. Under section 529B, that means:

eliminate or minimise the risks so far as reasonably practicable, and
use at least one of: isolating people from the dust; a fully enclosed operator cabin with high-efficiency filtration; effective wet dust suppression; effective on-tool extraction; or effective local exhaust ventilation, and
if someone is still at risk of RCS after those measures, provide suitable respiratory protective equipment (RPE) and make sure it is worn while the work is done.

RPE alone is only enough where none of those isolation or engineering controls is reasonably practicable — and you should be able to explain why.

When processing is "high risk"

You must assess each CSS process in writing and decide whether it is high risk. High risk means the processing is reasonably likely to result in a risk to the health of a person at the workplace. If you can't decide, treat it as high risk until you can.

Safe Work Australia's CSS guidance lists the matters you must consider, including the specific process, the form and proportion of crystalline silica, how often and how long people are exposed, whether airborne RCS is reasonably likely to exceed half the workplace exposure standard, and any relevant past air monitoring, health monitoring or silica-related incidents. You must not count administrative controls or RPE when deciding if the process is high risk, because they don't control the dust at the source. Isolation and engineering controls can be taken into account.

The workplace exposure standard

Safe Work Australia's workplace exposure standard for respirable crystalline silica is 0.05 mg/m³ as an eight-hour time-weighted average. Workers must not be exposed above that figure. Half the WES (0.025 mg/m³) is the trigger the regulations use when you assess whether a process is high risk. Keep exposure as low as reasonably practicable, not just under the number.

What a silica risk control plan must cover

If the process is high risk, prepare a silica risk control plan before the work starts, consult the workers (and HSRs if any), give it to everyone who will do the work, and follow it. WorkSafe Queensland says a SWMS can stand in for the plan on high-risk construction work if it covers the same content.

Safe Work Australia's optional template (Parts A–D style) and its CSS guidance say a plan must:

identify each high-risk CSS process at the workplace
include the information used in the risk assessment (process, silica form and %, exposure frequency/duration, half-WES judgement, relevant monitoring and incident history, and why it was rated high risk)
set out the control measures and how they will be implemented, monitored and reviewed
be written so the people who use it can understand it.

In practice, site crews also need clear fields for who the PCBU is, who is responsible on the day, training records, and daily checks on wet methods, extractors, filters and RPE fit.

Training, air monitoring and health monitoring

For high-risk CSS processing, WorkSafe Queensland requires crystalline silica training (VET-accredited or regulator-approved) for workers who do the processing or who may be exposed because of it, covering the health risks of RCS and the proper use of the required controls. Keep the training record while the worker does that work, and for five years after they stop working for you.

Air monitoring and health monitoring still sit under the existing WHS Regulation duties (including regulation 50 and the hazardous-chemicals health-monitoring rules). Where high-risk CSS processing applies, you also need to report air-monitoring results that exceed the WES to the regulator. Health monitoring is required where there is a significant risk to a worker's health from ongoing RCS exposure; it must be done or supervised by a registered medical practitioner experienced in health monitoring.

Engineered stone ban (from 1 July 2024)

From 1 July 2024, manufacturing, supplying, processing or installing engineered stone benchtops, panels and slabs is banned across Australia, including Queensland. Limited legacy work (for example removal, repair, minor modification or disposal of installed stone) may still be allowed if the processing is controlled and, in most jurisdictions including Queensland, the WHS regulator is notified first. Concrete, bricks, tiles, porcelain and sintered stone without resin are outside that ban definition — but they can still be CSS products that need controlled processing under the September 2024 rules.

What to record on a plan or register

PCBU details and the specific high-risk processes covered
CSS details (product, silica % if known, SDS or product info)
Why the process was assessed as high risk (including half-WES reasoning)
Controls in hierarchy order: elimination/substitution where possible, then wet methods, on-tool extraction or LEV, isolation, admin, then RPE (P2 or better as selected under AS/NZS 1715, with fit testing for tight-fitting masks)
Who implements, monitors and reviews the controls, and when
Training records and worker sign-on before the work starts
Links to any air or health monitoring that informed the assessment

Queensland also still has the Managing respirable crystalline silica dust exposure in construction… Code of Practice 2022, which WorkSafe lists as practical guidance for construction and manufacturing of construction elements. Use it alongside the September 2024 regulation duties, not instead of them.

Sources

Related guides

General information only, summarised from the official sources above as at the review date. It isn't legal, tax, WHS or engineering advice. Rules change and your situation may differ, so check the source or ask a professional.