Up to 600,000 Australians breathe in silica dust at work every year. Most of them work in jobs that sound familiar: building sites, stone benchtop workshops, mines, quarries and farms. If your work involves cutting, grinding, drilling or crushing stone, concrete, bricks, tiles or sand, silica dust is very likely part of your day, even when you cannot see it.
This article sets out which Australian jobs carry the greatest risk of silica dust exposure, why some tasks are riskier than others, and what the law requires employers to do about it. It also covers what has changed since the engineered stone ban, and what you can do next if your work history includes any of the roles below.
What is silica dust and why it matters for your job
Crystalline silica is a natural mineral found in stone, sand, clay and many building materials. When products containing silica are cut, ground, drilled, crushed or polished, tiny particles are released into the air. The particles that matter most for your lungs are known as respirable crystalline silica, meaning they are small enough (less than 10 micrometres, about a tenth the width of a human hair) to travel deep into the lungs when breathed in.
Once lodged in lung tissue, this dust can trigger scarring known as fibrosis. Over time, that scarring is what causes silicosis, a serious and irreversible lung disease. Silica dust exposure is also linked to lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), kidney disease and autoimmune conditions such as scleroderma.
Australia’s workplace exposure standard for respirable crystalline silica is 0.05 milligrams per cubic metre of air, averaged over an eight-hour working day. Employers are legally required to keep exposure below this level, but there is no dust exposure level that is considered completely free of risk, which is why understanding job risk matters even when the rules are being followed.
Which jobs carry the highest risk of silica dust exposure
Some occupations show up frequently in Australian silicosis data. National reporting to the Australian Centre for Disease Control’s National Occupational Respiratory Disease Registry has recorded the highest number of notifications among stonemasons, followed by workers in stone benchtop manufacturing, builders, labourers and miners. The tasks most often linked to notifications are cutting, shaping and sawing, followed by excavating, drilling and earth moving.
Stonemasons and engineered stone workers
Stonemasons and workers who fabricate or install stone benchtops carry the highest recorded risk of any occupation in Australia. Engineered stone, once widely used for kitchen and bathroom benchtops, can contain up to 97 per cent crystalline silica, far higher than most natural stone. Cutting, grinding or polishing this material without proper dust control has been linked to silicosis developing after only a few years of work, not just after a long career.
Construction, demolition and renovation trades
Builders, concreters, bricklayers, tilers, and workers who cut, drill or chase into concrete, brick and masonry are regularly exposed to silica dust. So are plumbers and electricians who cut channels into concrete for pipes and cabling, structural steel workers on sites where concrete or masonry is being cut nearby, and demolition labourers clearing dust and debris. Angle grinding, jackhammering and chiselling of concrete are among the tasks most likely to release high levels of dust into the air.
Miners, quarry workers and tunnellers
Silica occurs naturally in rock, so mining, quarrying and tunnelling carry a long-recognised risk. Crushing, loading and hauling rock, along with drilling and blasting underground, can generate very high dust levels, particularly where ventilation is limited, such as in tunnels and underground workings.
Farmers and agricultural workers
Farming is not always thought of as a silica dust occupation, but dust from earth moving, harvesting, transporting grain and general soil disturbance can contain crystalline silica. Farmers, station hands and other agricultural workers who spend long hours in dusty paddocks or handling dry, dusty materials are also at risk, especially where ventilation and dust suppression are harder to manage outdoors.
Manufacturing, foundries and other trades at risk
Silica dust also turns up in less obvious workplaces. Foundry casting, glass and ceramics manufacturing, pottery, abrasive blasting and the manufacture of concrete, tile and mineral products can all generate crystalline silica dust. Workers who clean up after these processes, including sweeping, vacuuming or clearing dusty waste, can be exposed even if they never operate the cutting or grinding equipment themselves.
Why some jobs and tasks carry more risk than others
Risk is not just about which industry you work in. It comes down to how much silica is in the material, how the material is worked, and how long the exposure lasts.
Different materials contain very different amounts of crystalline silica. Marble and limestone sit at around two per cent, granite is typically twenty to forty-five per cent, and natural sandstone can range from seventy to ninety-five per cent. Engineered stone can reach ninety-seven per cent, which is one reason stonemasons and benchtop fabricators feature so heavily in Australian silicosis statistics.
How the material is worked matters just as much as what it is made of. Dry cutting, grinding or polishing without water suppression or on tool dust extraction can release silica dust levels far above the workplace exposure standard. Wet cutting methods and local exhaust ventilation reduce that risk considerably, though research shows even these controls do not remove it completely.
Length and intensity of exposure also shape how disease develops. Very heavy exposure over weeks or months can lead to acute silicosis. Moderate to high exposure over one to ten years is linked to accelerated silicosis. Long term exposure to lower dust levels over more than ten years is linked to chronic silicosis, the most common form. A 2021 study of Victorian workers with silicosis found that just over a quarter had worked in the industry for less than ten years, a reminder that shorter careers do not guarantee safety.
The engineered stone ban, and what it means for you today
Since 1 July 2024, the manufacture, supply, processing and installation of engineered stone benchtops, panels and slabs has been banned across Australia. Following sharp and alarming surges in silicosis amongst stone benchtop workers, the occupational health community and unions advocated strongly for a review into the artificial stone benchtop industry and working conditions, and as a result of a review and recommendation from Safe Work Australia, a world-first ban on the manufacture, supply, processing and installation of engineered stone benchtops, panels and slabs came into effect in July 2024. An import ban on engineered stone benchtops, panels and slabs took effect from 1 January 2025.
The ban does not cover porcelain or sintered stone products, and it does not apply to finished items such as kitchen sinks, jewellery or garden ornaments that do not need further processing. It also does not remove already installed engineered stone benchtops from Australian homes and workplaces, and strict controls still apply to any legacy work involving those products, such as repair or removal.
Importantly, the ban only covers engineered stone. Granite, natural sandstone, concrete, brick, tile and other silica containing materials are still widely used across construction, mining and manufacturing, so the underlying risk for many trades has not disappeared.
What Australian law says about protecting workers
Under work health and safety laws, a person conducting a business or undertaking, commonly referred to as a PCBU, must eliminate or minimise the risk of silica dust exposure so far as is reasonably practicable. This means working through a hierarchy of controls, starting with eliminating or substituting the hazardous material, then isolating it, using engineering controls such as wet cutting or ventilation, applying administrative controls such as training and signage, and only then relying on personal protective equipment such as a properly fitted respirator.
Employers must also arrange air monitoring where there is uncertainty about dust levels, and health monitoring for workers where there is a significant risk to their health from silica exposure. Health monitoring must be arranged and paid for by the employer, and typically includes a work and medical history, a respiratory questionnaire, lung function tests and a chest X-ray. Workers, in turn, have a duty to take reasonable care of their own health and safety, including using personal protective equipment (PPE) correctly when it is provided.
What to do if you think your job has put you at risk
You do not need symptoms to justify getting checked. Silicosis often develops silently for years before any breathlessness, cough or fatigue appears, which is exactly why early screening matters so much for anyone with a history of work in the jobs described above.
If you currently work in a role involving silica dust, ask your employer about the health monitoring and air monitoring arrangements in place at your workplace. If you have left that industry, or your employer no longer offers monitoring, speak with your GP about your work history and whether screening is appropriate.
The Silicosis Support Hub’s Online Risk Assessment is a good starting point for understanding your own exposure history, and the Silicosis Support Nurse is available to talk through your situation, whatever stage you are at. Taking that first step does not commit you to anything except getting clear information about your own lungs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which job has the highest risk of silica dust exposure in Australia?
National reporting shows stonemasons and other engineered stone workers record the highest number of silicosis notifications of any occupation, largely because engineered stone can contain up to 97 per cent crystalline silica and is often cut, ground or polished. Construction and concrete trades, miners, quarry workers and tunnellers also carry very high risk.
Can someone be exposed to silica dust without directly cutting or grinding stone?
Yes. Labourers, supervisors, cleaners and other workers nearby a dusty task can breathe in silica dust even if they are not operating the tool themselves. Sweeping, vacuuming with the wrong equipment or clearing offcuts can also release dust into the air.
Does the engineered stone ban mean silicosis risk has gone away?
No. The ban on manufacturing, supplying, processing and installing engineered stone benchtops, panels and slabs has applied across Australia since 1 July 2024, but it does not remove silica from materials such as granite, natural sandstone, concrete, brick and tile, which are still commonly cut and ground in construction, mining and other trades.
How long does it take for silicosis to develop after silica dust exposure?
It depends on the type and level of exposure. Acute silicosis can appear within a few weeks to a year after very heavy exposure. Accelerated silicosis tends to develop after one to ten years of high exposure. Chronic silicosis, the most common form, usually follows more than ten years of lower-level exposure. Symptoms can take years to appear, so past exposure still matters even if someone feels well now.
Do I need symptoms before I get checked for silica dust exposure?
No. Silicosis often has no symptoms in its early stages, which is why health monitoring is recommended for anyone who has worked in a high-risk role, whether or not they feel unwell. Speak with your employer, your GP or the Silicosis Support Nurse about arranging a check.
What should I do if I have worked in one of these high-risk jobs?
Take the Silicosis Support Hub Online Risk Assessment, speak with your GP about health monitoring, and contact the Silicosis Support Nurse for guidance. Acting early, even without symptoms, gives you the best chance of catching any lung changes sooner.
You do not have to work out what your exposure history means on your own.
References
This information has been sourced and adapted from resources referenced below, as at 25/08/26:
Safe Work Australia, Silica (Know your WHS duties hub page); Workplace exposure standard for respirable crystalline silica; Engineered stone ban; Be Silica Smart; Working with silica and silica containing products, National guidance material, February 2022; Dusts (Know your WHS duties hub page); Stronger regulation of crystalline silica substances from 1 September 2024, news item, 2 September 2024
Australian Centre for Disease Control, National Occupational Respiratory Disease Registry, monthly dashboard data, updated December 2025
Australian Government Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, Prohibition on the use of engineered stone, updated 29 October 2024
Cancer Council and Know Workplace Cancer, Occupational Cancer Risk Series, Silica Dust, April 2021
WorkSafe ACT, Occupations and tasks that can lead to silica exposure
Lung Foundation Australia, Silicosis, occupational lung diseases resource, last updated 26 June 2026
Silicosis Support Hub (ADDRI), About silicosis and silica related disease; About the Silicosis Support Hub
