Silica dust and benchtop work

How much silica is in a benchtop material

The figures vary widely between materials. WorkSafe WA gives these examples as an indication only.

Every material in the table is at or above 1% crystalline silica, the level at which Safe Work Australia says businesses take on specific duties for the material.

Why the dust matters

SafeWork SA calls silicosis an irreversible lung disease that causes permanent disability and can be fatal, and the national code of practice warns that symptoms may take many years to appear and can keep getting worse after exposure stops.

What the law asks of the business, nationally

The exposure standard for respirable crystalline silica is 0.05 mg/m³ as an eight-hour time-weighted average, and it “must not be exceeded.” From 1 December 2026, exposure standards are to be known as workplace exposure limits, and businesses will need to make sure no one at the workplace is exposed above the limit.

For the limited work still permitted on engineered stone, Safe Work Australia sets out what a worker is owed:

• “An employer must not carry out, or direct or allow you to carry out, processing of engineered stone unless it is controlled using effective control measures to remove or reduce exposure to RCS. These measures include using a wet cutting method, an on-tool dust removal system, or a local exhaust ventilation system.”
• Before work begins, the employer must assess whether the processing is high risk.
• The worker must be given the appropriate personal protective equipment, including respiratory protective equipment, with information and instructions on how to use and wear it properly.
• “If you are worried about a serious risk to your health and safety, you have the right to stop or refuse to carry out work. If you do this, you must inform your employer as soon as you can.”
• Where ongoing work carries a significant health risk from the dust, the employer must provide health monitoring, conducted by a registered medical practitioner experienced in health monitoring.

What each regulator adds

NSWSafeWork NSW

• A business processing a crystalline silica substance must assess whether the work is high risk and record that in writing; “If you’re unsure, assume it is high risk until proven otherwise.”
• High-risk processing needs a silica risk control plan, or, for construction work, a Safe Work Method Statement instead.
• If air monitoring results exceed the exposure standard, SafeWork NSW must be notified within 14 days of receiving the report.
• From 1 October 2025, workers doing high-risk silica processing must be notified to the Silica Worker Register within 28 days of the work starting.

WAWorkSafe WA

• A business must not direct or allow workers to carry out uncontrolled dry cutting or processing of engineered stone.
• It names three ways to cut the risk of silica dust: wet cutting with a water suppression system, an extraction system fitted to the tool, or local exhaust ventilation.
• On top of that, every worker processing engineered stone must be given respiratory protective equipment, and must wear it.
• In Western Australia, health monitoring for silica must use low dose HRCT rather than a chest X-ray.

SASafeWork SA

• Businesses must eliminate the risks from exposure to respirable crystalline silica. Any processing of engineered stone with power tools or other mechanical plant must be controlled with wet cutting, on-tool dust extraction or local exhaust ventilation, and on top of that every worker who processes engineered stone must be given, and wear, respiratory protective equipment.
• A business must provide, and pay for, health monitoring for its workers working with engineered stone.

QLDVICQueensland and Victoria

• Workplace Health and Safety Queensland says the respiratory protective equipment must comply with Australian Standards 1716:2012 and 1715:2009.
• WorkSafe Victoria treats an engineered stone process as high risk crystalline silica work, so an employer or self-employed person must meet those obligations.

When the benchtop is in your home

If a top needs to come off so the cabinets beneath can be fixed, the rules for putting it back are in lifting a stone benchtop for cabinet repairs, and what is banned outright is in the engineered stone ban.