Silica Dust Course 2025

Use of this course is subject to the Terms and Conditions agreed to during registration / checkout. Feel free to remind yourself of them before you begin.

An outline of the best ways to be prepared for the course and the best conditions in which to take it.

An overview on how to go through the different sections of the course and what you will need to achieve to pass the course.

The best ways to get any assistance during the course.

A reminder of what to expect from the course and what it does or does not allow you to do in relation to silica dust.

This introduction will provide you with a summary of the purposes of the course.

Explaining the importance of understanding and being aware of silica dust.

A short overview of the topics you will learn about throughout the course.

Silica Dust, often referred to as Respirable Crystalline Silica, is commonly produced when materials containing silica interact with some sort of process or activity.

This dust is one of the oldest workplace hazards – and it still causes hundreds of thousands of deaths across the world every year.

Silica had been wildly used by ancient civilisations in the making of tools, in the form of sharp flints.

Around 900 cases of lung cancer each year in Britain are thought to be caused in some part due to past exposure to silica dust in the workplace.

All Australian workplaces must follow work health and safety laws, however these vary slightly between states and territories.

According to the United States’ Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) the new standard for exposure to crystalline silica in general industry includes

Employer duties of care in both Australia and the US can be quickly summarised as

A quiz covering all the main content from the ‘Explaining Silica Dust’ section.

When these materials are worked on, silica is released as a fine dust known as respirable crystalline silica or silica dust.

Silica can be found in a wide variety of building materials. As such, it is very common to find it across construction sites, in manufacturing plants, and also within commercial, industrial and residential buildings. Materials that are particularly likely to include silica, and therefore may result in exposure to silica dust when worked with, include: Natural Materials Building Materials Sandstone Bricks Quartz Concrete Obsidian Cement Sand Tiles Asphalt Drywall   Mortar   Grout Silica is less likely to be found in more manufactured products, such as metals, plastics and other such composite materials. var htmlDiv = document.getElementById("rs-plugin-settings-inline-css"); var htmlDivCss=""; if(htmlDiv) { htmlDiv.innerHTML = htmlDiv.innerHTML + htmlDivCss; }else{ var htmlDiv = document.createElement("div"); htmlDiv.innerHTML = "" + htmlDivCss + ""; document.getElementsByTagName("head")[0].appendChild(htmlDiv.childNodes[0]); } var htmlDiv = document.getElementById("rs-plugin-settings-inline-css"); var htmlDivCss=""; if(htmlDiv) { htmlDiv.innerHTML = htmlDiv.innerHTML + htmlDivCss; }else{ var htmlDiv = document.createElement("div"); htmlDiv.innerHTML = "" + htmlDivCss + ""; document.getElementsByTagName("head")[0].appendChild(htmlDiv.childNodes[0]); } /****************************************** - PREPARE PLACEHOLDER FOR SLIDER - ******************************************/ var setREVStartSize=function(){ try{var e=new Object,i=jQuery(window).width(),t=9999,r=0,n=0,l=0,f=0,s=0,h=0; e.c = jQuery('#rev_slider_29_1'); e.responsiveLevels = [1240,1024,778,480]; e.gridwidth = [1240,1024,778,480]; e.gridheight = [600,600,500,400]; e.sliderLayout = "auto"; if(e.responsiveLevels&&(jQuery.each(e.responsiveLevels,function(e,f){f>i&&(t=r=f,l=e),i>f&&f>r&&(r=f,n=e)}),t>r&&(l=n)),f=e.gridheight[l]||e.gridheight[0]||e.gridheight,s=e.gridwidth[l]||e.gridwidth[0]||e.gridwidth,h=i/s,h=h>1?1:h,f=Math.round(h*f),"fullscreen"==e.sliderLayout){var u=(e.c.width(),jQuery(window).height());if(void 0!=e.fullScreenOffsetContainer){var c=e.fullScreenOffsetContainer.split(",");if (c) jQuery.each(c,function(e,i){u=jQuery(i).length>0?u-jQuery(i).outerHeight(!0):u}),e.fullScreenOffset.split("%").length>1&&void 0!=e.fullScreenOffset&&e.fullScreenOffset.length>0?u-=jQuery(window).height()*parseInt(e.fullScreenOffset,0)/100:void 0!=e.fullScreenOffset&&e.fullScreenOffset.length>0&&(u-=parseInt(e.fullScreenOffset,0))}f=u}else void 0!=e.minHeight&&f

Where in buildings, manufacturing, construction, sites can it be found?

A quiz covering all the main content from the ‘Where Silica Dust Can Be Found’ section.

Working in an environment where silica dust/respirable crystalline silica (RCS) is commonly present can cause a variety of respiratory illnesses, such as

This may seem like an obvious statement to make, but the amount of air you breathe in at work has a direct link to your risk of exposure to Silica Dust. This is why workplace exposure to Silica Dust is calculated based on the amount of air breathed in over an 8-hour period – as this period represents the typical shift length. In the next lesson we will review the actual calculation used for setting exposure limits. Over the course of a typical shift you will likely find yourself working on a variety of different tasks. This means that when you are carrying out a task that is physically demanding, your breathing rate will increase (and so will the risk of exposure). After any strenuous activity is finished, or you move on to a less demanding task, your breathing rate will slow down. PLEASE REMEMBERIt is important to keep in mind that the amount of air breathed in differs for each individual and that it will also vary depending on the task being undertaken.

Over an 8-hour work shift we can expect someone to inhale around half a litre of air per breath, with an average 12 breathes per minute. This results in 2,880 litres of air being inhaled over a shift. This calculation can be expressed as: Amount of air (0.5) X Number of breaths a minute (12) X 480 minutes (8 hours) = 2,880 litres (or 2.88 kilolitres) over the 8-hour shift Applying this calculation to the WEL for respirable dust (4mg per cubic metre of breath), the maximum amount of this dust that you should breathe in is around 11.52mg during a standard shift. This figure is reached by multiplying the 4mg WEL against the number of kilolitres (2.88). The WEL for silica dust is much lower than for respirable dust, set at 0.1mg per cubic metre of breath. Applying the exposure calculation here sets a maximum level of approximately 0.28 mg over the 8-hour workday. This all shows how easy it is to exceed the daily limit without taking the correct precautions. Comparing the different in limits between respirable dust and silica dust reveals that exposure to the latter can be extremely dangerous. We will look more at different dust particles in more detail later in the course.

There are two primary types of dust that we are going to focus on; these are respirable and inhalable dusts. Respirable Type Size Dangers Protections Respirable Dust Miniscule particles Are able to travel deep into the lungs and eventually settle into the lung tissue. This may cause the start of a respiratory condition Bypasses the natural protections in the nose and throat area Inhalable Type Size Dangers Protections Inhalable Dust Tiny particles that are small enough in size to travel in the air Easy to inhale which are then caught in the nasal hairs or in the throat Can be removed by sneezing, blowing your nose or coughing

The very nature of silica dust; comprised of small particles and therefore becoming airborne extremely easily, makes it incredibly easy to breathe in when working.

Carcinogenic Materials A carcinogen is an agent with the capacity to cause cancer in humans. Carcinogens may be natural, such as aflatoxin, which is produced by a fungus and sometimes found on stored grains, or manmade, such as asbestos or tobacco smoke. In 1996, after reviewing the scientific evidence put forward, the International Agency for Research on Cancer concluded that crystalline silica in the form of quartz or cristobalite dust is carcinogenic to humans and it has been classified as a Group 1 carcinogen, meaning that it's a definite cause of cancer in humans. However, in other European countries silica is not classified as a carcinogenic substance under Europe’s Carcinogens and Mutagens Directive, because this legislation mainly focuses on supplied chemicals, not process-generated contaminants. Toxic Materials A toxic material is defined as a material that releases a chemical in sufficient quantities to kill cells either directly or indirectly through inhibition of key metabolic pathways. As you can see there's some clear overlap between the two terms, lots of toxic materials may also be carcinogenic and vice versa. If you are unsure if a material is toxic or carcinogenic the Gov website https://www.hse.gov.uk/index.htm has information on all materials and their known properties.

This illness makes breathing more difficult and increases the risk of lung infections

A major hurdle to overcome with respirable illnesses and diseases is that they are almost always hidden. Due to the internal impact on the body (i.e. in the lungs), it is not always obvious that an issue is even present. To get a better understanding of how these illnesses can have a dramatic impact on your quality of life, you can attempt the exercise below. ImportantDo not try this exercise if you have a medical condition that could be aggravated This exercise will give you a small idea of what it is like to have a lung condition such as those previously mentioned. Put a straw in your mouth Pinch your nose (so you can’t use it to breathe through) Attempt to take a deep breath just through the straw for a few seconds During this exercise you will notice that your are will become limited the more you breath and your body will try unsuccessfully to get more oxygen, as you take the straw away you will likely take a nice big breath to get the oxygen back in the body. Sufferers of these lung conditions don’t have that luxury and have these breathing difficulties every day.

A quiz covering all the main content from the ‘The Risks Posed by Silica Dust’ section.

In many countries, employers have a legal responsibility to carry out risk assessments in situations where there is exposure to silica

Employers must comply with The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH) (as amended) and need to

Your responsibilities when working to keep yourself aware and safe from potential exposure.

In order to check and confirm the dust levels in your workplace an air monitoring exercise must be performed on all activities. This MUST include personal monitoring of every worker and samples should all be taken within the breathing zone for each worker. These results will assist in determining whether or not you need to take following steps to reduce levels. The other priority step for ALL activities is the completion of a risk assessment, this will help you to any identify any potential hazards in those activities allowing the introduction of controls to reduce the risk of any harm. When creating a risk assessment, remember to follow the below steps: Identify the hazards Decide who might be harmed and how Evaluate the risks and decide on precautions Record your findings and implement them Review your assessment and update if necessary Alongside these steps, you should be working through an agreed hierarchy of control, starting at the highest level of risk. Any hazards should be removed where possible (safely) and you should not move through any subsequent steps until a practical solution for each step has been identified and implemented.

There are some quite simple ways to help reduce the risks posed by silica dust.

It is imperative that you have the correct type for the job you are doing. So, if you are using a facemask or respirator as a control measure when working with any hazardous dust, you should ensure the mask wearer has had a face fit check to the mask being used. If any other type of wearable equipment will be used then similar tests should be made. Please RememberAny checks and test should all be taken before the start of any job and ensure you are using, storing and disposing of all masks correctly.

The HSE publish a list of workplace exposure limits (WELs) for all hazardous substances, which is released in its EH40 guidance publication. These long-term WELs are based over an 8-hour period (typical daily shift). Please RememberThese are the high limits for exposure and should not be taken as targets! Exposure even at a measure below these limits could have a negative effect on your health. Particle SizeLong-Term WELInhalable Dusts10mg per cubic metre of breathRespirable Dusts4mg per cubic metre of breathSilica Dust0.1mg per cubic metre of breath

A quiz covering all the main content from the ‘Managing Silica Dust’ section.

Silica Dust Summary

To pass the final Silica Dust Awareness Assessment you must successfully answer 80% of the following questions.

Congratulations! You’ve reached the end of the Silica Dust course.