Working After a
Silicosis
Diagnosis
A silicosis diagnosis can impact your work, life, and family — learn how to keep working safely.
Can you keep working after a silicosis diagnosis?
A diagnosis doesn’t have to mean the end of your working life. Learn how to protect your health while staying employed.
A silicosis diagnosis can feel overwhelming, especially when it comes to your job. Many people worry about their financial future, career options, and health. The good news is that with the right support, you can continue working in a way that protects your health and well-being.
This page explains your rights at work, how to access workers’ compensation, and how to explore new roles if your current job is unsafe. You’ll also discover practical advice on retraining, career change, and staying in work-related roles while protecting your health.
How silicosis affects your ability to work
A diagnosis can bring uncertainty about your job, but support is available to help you continue working safely.
Why dust exposure must stop immediately
Working in environments with silica dust after a silicosis diagnosis is dangerous. Even low levels of exposure can worsen lung scarring and accelerate disease progression.
Australian Work Health and Safety (WHS) laws require employers to eliminate or reduce exposure to silica dust.
If you’re diagnosed with silicosis or a silica-related disease, your employer must offer safer roles that eliminate the risk of dust exposure. If this isn’t possible, you may need to explore alternative roles or career paths that protect your health.
Can I stay in my industry after a diagnosis?
If you work in high-risk industries like construction, stonemasonry or mining, it may feel like your skills are only relevant in these areas. But with the right adjustments, you may be able to stay in the industry by shifting into safer roles, such as:
Supervisory roles
where you oversee work but don’t handle silica-containing materials.
Administrative or planning roles
that involve office-based support, project coordination, or scheduling.
Training and education roles
where you can use your skills to teach others about safe work practices.
If you remain in your industry, it’s essential to ensure any work you do is in a dust-free, controlled environment with effective safety controls like ventilation and air filtration.
Workers' compensation, legal advice, and your rights
You have legal rights to a safe working environment and access to workers’ compensation support.
What are your rights at work after a silicosis diagnosis?
Under Australian WHS laws, your employer must provide you with a safe work environment. This includes:
Access to safer work roles
Employers must explore options to move you into dust-free roles.
Protective measures
If exposure to dust cannot be eliminated, workplaces must use dust extraction systems, wet-cutting, and personal protective equipment (PPE).
Access to health monitoring
If you continue to work in a dust-related industry, you have the right to health checks and medical monitoring to track lung health.
If your employer cannot offer safer work or fails to meet WHS obligations, you can report unsafe conditions to your state’s WHS regulator.
Workers’ compensation: why you should register a claim early
If you’re diagnosed with silicosis, it’s essential to lodge a claim with your state’s workers’ compensation scheme, even if you’re not currently experiencing symptoms. Early registration gives you access to support, medical monitoring, and other benefits.
If you don’t register your claim within the required time (which can be as short as 6 months in some states), you could lose access to benefits. Registering early ensures you have access to financial support and can receive funding for retraining, health monitoring, and medical treatment.
How can vocational rehabilitation help you?
Once you’ve registered a workers’ compensation claim, you may have access to vocational rehabilitation programs that help you transition into new work roles. This could include:
Career counselling
Explore industries that align with your skills.
Job retraining
TAFE courses, short courses, and certificate programs.
Job placement support
Connect you with job opportunities.
These programs are free or heavily subsidised through workers’ compensation, so it’s worth exploring them early. A vocational rehabilitation provider can work with you to create a step-by-step plan for your career change.
Exploring new career paths after silicosis
A diagnosis doesn’t mean the end of your working life — discover new roles that protect your health.
Transferable skills and career change options
If you can no longer work in a high-risk industry, consider a career change. Some people follow an interest, skills or past experience to a completely different industry. Many people discover they have transferable skills that can apply to safer roles. Here are some of the more common types of roles that people consider, however, the options can be much broader than just these depending on your specific circumstances.
Project management
Roles in administration, logistics, and scheduling.
Customer service
Roles in call centres, retail, or service-based industries.
Education and training
Teach others in TAFE courses, apprenticeships, or industry training.
Office-based roles
Move into business support, technical support, or advisory roles.
Balancing work and health: how to stay safe and supported
Your health comes first — discover how to set boundaries and maintain a safe, sustainable work routine.
Know your limits and set boundaries
If you plan to keep working after a diagnosis, it’s essential to understand your limits. Silicosis symptoms like breathlessness and fatigue can make it difficult to maintain your usual work pace, but that doesn’t mean you have to stop working entirely.
Here’s how to work smarter, not harder:
Pace your activities
Break large tasks into smaller steps to avoid exhaustion.
Take regular breaks
Don’t wait until you feel fatigued. Take breaks often to protect your energy.
Request flexible work options
Consider part-time schedules, remote work, or roles with reduced physical demands.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs) about working after a silicosis diagnosis
Can I keep working after a silicosis diagnosis?
Yes, but it depends on the type of work you do and the level of silica dust exposure in your role. If your job involves cutting, grinding, or working with silica-containing materials, you’ll need to stop exposure immediately to protect your health.
Many people continue working in dust-free roles within their industry, such as supervision, project management, or administration. Others pursue retraining or vocational rehabilitation to transition to safer jobs in new industries.
Do I have to stop working with silica dust completely?
Yes. Once you’ve been diagnosed with silicosis, further exposure to silica dust can cause your condition to worsen. Australian Work Health and Safety (WHS) laws require your employer to remove you from silica exposure and offer safer work options.
If safer roles are unavailable at your current workplace, you may need to consider alternative employment options in low-risk environments.
What are my legal rights if I’m diagnosed with silicosis?
After a diagnosis, you have the right to:
- A safe working environment — Your employer must remove you from silica exposure.
- Safer role options — Your employer must explore roles where you’re not exposed to dust.
- Access to workers’ compensation — You can lodge a claim to access financial support, retraining, and medical benefits.
- Right to health monitoring — If you continue working in dust-related industries, you have the right to ongoing lung health checks.
If your employer fails to meet these obligations, you can report them to your state’s workplace safety regulator (like SafeWork NSW or WorkSafe VIC).
What is workers' compensation, and how can it help me?
Workers’ compensation provides financial support, medical benefits, and job retraining if you’re diagnosed with a work-related disease like silicosis. Benefits include:
- Medical costs — Coverage for ongoing health monitoring, X-rays, CT scans, and specialist visits.
- Income replacement — If you can’t work, workers’ compensation may provide weekly payments.
- Vocational rehabilitation — Support to help you retrain, upskill, or transition to a new job.
What happens if I miss the deadline to lodge a workers' compensation claim?
- In some Australian states, if you don’t lodge your workers’ compensation claim within the required timeframe (which can be as short as 6 months), you may lose access to compensation benefits.
- Even if you don’t have symptoms, you should register your claim as soon as possible after diagnosis, as the timeframe is set from diagnosis, not from when or if you have difficulty working.
- Early registration with workcover authorities allows you to access health monitoring, legal support, and vocational retraining.
What is vocational rehabilitation, and how can it help me?
Vocational rehabilitation helps you transition into new, safer work roles after a silicosis diagnosis. It’s offered through workers’ compensation schemes and includes:
- Career counselling to explore your skills and career goals.
- Job retraining through TAFE courses, apprenticeships, or certificate programs.
- Job placement support to help you find suitable roles in safer industries.
These services are typically free for people with workers’ compensation claims. A vocational rehabilitation provider will work with you to develop a plan tailored to your skills and health needs.
Take control of your work and health journey
Your health and career matter. Get support to protect both.
Downloadable Resources
The following resources in multiple languages have been created by the Lung Foundation. Click to download them in your preferred language.
