Silica Dust Resources for Site Managers & Supervisors
As a Site Manager, Supervisor or Team Leader, you are responsible for ensuring your team (and people nearby) are properly protected from hazards on site - including Respirable Crystalline Silica (RCS).
If the HSE visit your site and you do not have suitable control measures in place, you could be issued an Improvement Notice, or worse - a Prohibition Notice. A Prohibition Notice means that you must stop work immediately, and cannot recommence until the HSE are satisfied you have removed the danger, which could cause significant project delays and additional expenses.
Below, we have used the 'RACE' framework to help you understand all of your responsibilities as a Manager.
R
Risk Assessment
How to Identify RCS & Conduct a Risk Assessment
Identifying Respirable Crystalline Silica dust is the first step in staying safe. The BOHS Silica Toolbox Talk explains what RCS is, where it can be found, and the health implications it can cause. The BOHS have also developed an RCS checklist to ensure your risk assessment is comprehensive and compliant.
Download the resources here:
Review Control Measures
A key part of the Risk Assessment is determining suitable control measures, and as with any hazard, we refer to the Hierarchy of Control.
Engineering controls: If you can't eliminate or substitute the hazard, you need to consider specially designed engineering controls, for example, an extraction & filtration system (also known as an LEV system). When working with materials that contain RCS, your extraction system should contain a HEPA filter which is capable of removing 99.97% of particulate at 0.3 microns.
Administrative Controls: Administrative controls focus on changing work practices and procedures to minimize exposure to respirable crystalline silica (RCS) dust. These controls aim to reduce the duration and frequency of exposure by modifying how tasks are performed and how workers interact with silica-containing materials.
Suitable health and safety signage should also be displayed, to clearly identify the entrance of a hazardous work zone and what rules apply in that zone. If people have not undertaken specific training for the activities and hazards in that zone, they should not enter.
PPE: Personal Protective Equipment is considered the last line of defence and it should be supplimentary to other control measures. When working with silica dust you should be using an FFP3 disposable mask or a reusable half-mask with P3 filters.
Elimination and Substitution: The safest way to manage silica dust is to completely remove it. This could involve pre-cutting materials off-site, substituting silica materials with safer non-silica materials, or automating processes to remove human interaction. Just be mindful that if you substitute materials, you may be creating a new type of hazard to manage.
When looking at the Hierarchy of Control, we always start at the top and work our way down:
A
Awareness
Understand Requirements
Your senior leadership team should have a health strategy and communications plan - familiarise yourself with these documents and understand what is expected from your role. If your organisation doesn't have a health strategy, you could suggest that they look at our Senior Leadership page to get the wheels in motion!
In addition to internal company documents & processes, you should familiarise yourself with key pieces of legislation and guidance, for example:
Cascade Campaign Materials
If your company has a health communications plan, hopefully they will have some resources specifically for Silica dust. Embrace any plans and resources they share with you, and use them to embed a culture of best practice on site. If your leadership or comms team do not have any resources on Silica/ RCS, you could start building your own library of resources to share with your site team. Here are a few to get you started:
Embed Health into Conversations
Health & Safety is probably included in your daily briefings, but make sure that topics such as RCS are covered regularly. For example, you could develop a rota of topics to cover via toolbox talks or schedule lunch & learn sessions with external suppliers. The more these topics are covered on site, the more likely the messages will be embedded.
C
Control Measures
Implement Effective Control Measures
As mentioned further up this page - you must select measures inline with the hierarchy of control. You are responsible for ensuring that control measures are suitable for the activity, and if the HSE visit your site you must be able to prove that:
-
The the hazard has been properly assessed
-
Suitable control measures have been specified
-
The team have been trained and are using control measures correctly
-
There is a test and maintenance process in place for controls.
Key things to know about Engineering controls:
When selecting an LEV system it must have:
-
An appropriate hood (to capture the dust at source).
-
A high power fan that provides sufficient airflow for your activity.
-
An appropriate filter (you will need a HEPA filter for Silica dust).
-
Ducting to connect each part of the system.
-
And a discharge point for the air to pass through.
Anyone using the equipment must be properly trained. Most systems will come with an instruction guide or training manual, but if you are unsure of how to use the unit properly, request further information from the manufacturer or supplier, before letting work commence on site.
These systems must be properly specified, commissioned, and tested on a regular basis. The COSHH Regulation states that a Thorough Examination and Test (TExT) must be conducted every 14 months. You might also require general ventilation to dilute any residual airborne contaminants.
Other engineering controls for Silica dust might include wet or dry M-Class vacuums (captures 99.95% of particulate), wet or dry H-Class vacuums (captures 99.99% of particulate), on-tool water supply for wet cutting, or water cannons/ jets for dust suppression.
NOTE: On the 11th May 2026, New COSHH Guidance was introduced in relation to engineered stone. It is now mandatory to use water suppression when working with this material. Learn more.
Key things to know about RPE:
The RPE you select must be capable of keeping exposure under 0.1 mg/m³. As such, it should have an Assigned Protection Factor (APF) of at least 20, like an FFP3 mask. There are two types of RPE for Silica Dust: tight-fitting masks and loose-fitting powered air systems.
-
Tight-fitting Masks: Disposable respirators need to be 'FFP3' and half masks need to be fitted with 'P3' filters. They must be worn by clean-shaven individuals who are face fit tested to ensure a proper seal, as gaps can allow particles to bypass the filter.
-
Loose-fitting Facepieces: Powered air systems connected to helmets and hoods do not require face fit testing and can be used by individuals with degrees of facial hair.
As a manager, you must ensure that the correct RPE is specified for the activity, and that the team know where the masks are stored and how to check that they are in good working condition before they use them.
To learn more about correctly specified engineering controls and RPE, please download the following resources:
.png)
To learn more about correctly specified engineering controls and RPE, please download the below resources:
Implement Occupational Health Surveillance
First of all, check whether your organisation has an OH Surveillance Programme and familiarise yourself with the details. Essentially, if your employees are working with Respirable Crystalline Silica, you must conduct health surveillance for silicosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
As per, G404, this involves the performance of appropriate tests and identifying if your workers have symptoms such as:
-
Shortness of breath
-
Persistent coughing with or without phlegm
-
Frequent or prolonged chest infections
-
Wheezing