FY26 snapshot
Data is from 1 July - 31 March 2026.
Silica worker register snapshot
Data is from 1 October 2025 – 31 March 2026.
SafeWork NSW compliance activities
The following information relates to SafeWork NSW’s silica workplace visit program that commenced in 2018. Data is from 2018 to 31 March 2026.
Silica-related
Includes tunnelling, manufacturing, foundries and stonemasons.
Notices
Any silica-related improvement notice
Issued for uncontrolled exposure to silica dust
Issued for uncontrolled dry cutting
The workplace exposure standard (WES) for respirable crystalline silica (RCS) in Australia is 0.05 mg/m1. This is based on an 8-hour time-weighted average. There’s also an adjusted WES for longer shifts, like 12-hour shifts.
For any air monitoring conducted after 1 September 2024, it is compulsory to submit a notification to SafeWork NSW outlining any air monitoring results that exceed the WES. One notification may include one or more exceedance.
Since the WES notification system was introduced in September 2024, SafeWork has received the following notifications1:
| 2026 | Qtr1 | |||
| Industry | Jan | Feb | Mar | 2026 Total |
| Tunnelling | 1 | 7 | 7 | 15 |
| Construction | 1 | 7 | 7 | 15 |
| Other Services | - | - | - | 0 |
| Non-Tunnelling | 9 | 15 | 11 | 33 |
| Construction | 8 | 10 | 8 | 26 |
| Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Manufacturing | 1 | 3 | - | 4 |
| Other Services | - | - | 1 | 1 |
| Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing | - | - | - | 0 |
| Public Administration and Safety | - | - | - | 0 |
| Transport, Postal and Warehousing | - | - | - | 0 |
| Education and Training | - | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Grand Total | 10 | 22 | 18 | 50 |
| Industry | 2024 (From 1 September) | 2025 (Jan-Dec) |
| Tunnelling | 32 | 94 |
| Construction | 31 | 92 |
| Other Services | 1 | 2 |
| Non-Tunnelling | 18 | 110 |
| Construction | 9 | 66 |
| Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services | 2 | 11 |
| Manufacturing | 4 | 18 |
| Other Services | 3 | 10 |
| Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing | - | 1 |
| Public Administration and Safety | - | 3 |
| Transport, Postal and Warehousing | - | 1 |
| Grand Total | 50 | 204 |
NOTE: This data excludes notifications from the mining industry.
Silicosis cases identified
Where volume of data is low, data has been grouped into categories to allow reporting while maintaining privacy principles.
Graph represents the annual silicosis diagnosis notifications to SafeWork NSW.
1 July 2025 - 31 March 2026
45 cases
45 cases are male.
Silicosis sub-type
| Chronic | 40 |
| Accelerated | <5 |
| Acute | <5 |
| Not identified | <5 |
Region of Birth
| Australia/New Zealand | 16 |
| Europe | <5 |
| Asia | <5 |
| Middle East | <5 |
| South America | <5 |
| Not identified | 19 |
Age groups
| Under 21 | <5 |
| 21-40 | 11 |
| 41-70 | 30 |
| 71-90 | <5 |
| 90+ | <5 |
| Not identified | <5 |
By industry (ANZSIC)
| Manufactured/Engineered Stone (2090) | 10 |
| Construction – site prep/heavy civil (3109/3212) | 22 |
| Other | 13 |
| Not identified | <5 |
By occupation (ANZSCO)
| Engineered Stone processors (7111) | <5 |
| Bricklayers and stonemasons (3311) | 21 |
| Construction – site prep/heavy civil (7212/8219) | <5 |
| Tunnelling (7219) | <5 |
| Other | 17 |
| Not identified | <5 |
Historical information
Prior to commencement of the NSW Dust Disease Register (data derived from icare).
Prior to commencement of the NSW Dust Disease Register (data derived from icare).
Prior to commencement of the NSW Dust Disease Register (data derived from icare).
Resources
- Crystalline silica – SafeWork NSW
- Working with crystalline silica video series – SafeWork NSW. Video captions are available in Arabic, Chinese (Simplified), Korean and Vietnamese
- Silica worker register – SafeWork NSW
- Silica Awareness and Safety online course – Construct NSW
- What are crystalline silica and engineered stone – SafeWork NSW
- Engineered stone ban – Safe Work Australia
- Legacy engineered stone notifications – SafeWork NSW
- Workplace exposure standard exceedance notifications – SafeWork NSW
- The $1,000 SafeWork small business rebate is available to all eligible businesses and sole traders in NSW who buy and install equipment that makes their workplace safer.
- Building and construction industry page includes resources such as the dust safety poster, toolbox talks, safety checklists and fact sheets – SafeWork NSW
- YouTube videos about safely cutting bricks and concrete that contain silica using on-tool dust capture and water. Translated versions are available in Arabic and Chinese – SafeWork NSW
Working with crystalline silica substances: PCBU obligations – SafeWork NSW
- Medical practitioner's obligation to notify of a disease page - contains information about medical practitioners’ requirement to notify the National Occupational Respiratory Disease Registry (NORDR) when they diagnose a case of silicosis – SafeWork NSW
- Request a lung screening service – icare
- Protect your lungs at work – Lung Foundation Australia
- Code of Practice: Managing risks of respirable crystalline silica in the workplace– SafeWork NSW
- Code of Practice: Tunnels Under Construction – SafeWork NSW
- Code of Practice: Construction Work – SafeWork NSW
- Crystalline Silica Technical Fact Sheet – SafeWork NSW
- Managing the risks of hazardous chemicals in the workplace – SafeWork NSW
- Preparation of safety data sheets for hazardous chemicals – SafeWork NSW
- Labelling of workplace hazardous chemicals – SafeWork NSW
- Prosecutions – SafeWork NSW