Crystalline Silica Awareness Training

Course Dates

It is a requirement for an employer to provide silica training from 1 September 2024 to:

  • any worker involved in processing of a crystalline silica substance (CSS); or
  • who is at risk of exposure to respirable crystalline silica (RCS) because of that processing.

If your workers are not undertaking high risk processing, you must still provide appropriate information, instruction, training or supervision to anyone who may be exposed to RCS at the workplace.

Your workers need to complete one of the following recognized approved training programmes when working in NSW:

  • TAFE NSW course – Silica awareness and safety
  • 10830NAT – Course in Crystalline Silica Exposure Prevention (required when working in the ACT).
  • One of the two following units of competency when working in NSW:
    * CPCSIL3001 – Work with products and materials containing crystalline silica; or
    * CPCSIL4001 – Supervise and manage work with products and materials generating respirable crystalline silica

To book on  the ACT Silica Awareness Course  10830NAT

Silica has been a long standing health hazard, causing millions of cases of disease and death since civilization, stone masonry and mining began. The risk arises through the inhalation of dusts containing crystalline silica. This training programme will assist workers in workplaces where silica is present to manage the risk to workers’ health.

The workplace health and safety law has provision that employers or persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) must control the risks from silica exposures.  They must ensure all workers who may come into contact with silica dust understand the risks, the control measures and company policy and procedures when dealing with silica dust.

What does the legislation say about working with silica?

Work Health and Safety Act 2011

The Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (WHS Act) establishes a number of primary duties for a PCBU. Under section 19, the PCBU has a duty to ensure the workplace health and safety of various persons.  This duty is paramount. In other words, if a PCBU is involved in work with materials involving silica exposure, so far as is reasonably practicable, no person’s health is to be affected by that work.
Section 19 duties as they apply to the use of silica in the workplace include:

  • providing and maintaining safe and healthy work environment
  • providing and maintaining safe plant and structures for working with materials containing silica
  • ensuring safe systems of work
  • ensuring safe use of silica containing substances
  • providing information, instruction, training and supervision
  • ensuring the workplace conditions are monitored to prevent illness from carrying out work with silica.

Face to Face Format

This program is a face to face program conducted in your work place or at our training facility.  The program is a classroom presentation outlining all the requirements that should be in place to manage silica dust in the workplace.

Participants will be able to identify and apply the following knowledge within the context of their job roles for their own safety and the safety of fellow workers and bystanders:

  • identification of crystalline silica containing products
  • the relevant legislation, guidelines and standards
  • the consequences, hazards and risks to health due to exposure
  • exposure standards
  • Safety Data Sheets
  • hierarchy of Controls
  • systems for prevention of exposure
  • risk assessments and hazard prevention

Timings

This is a four hour training programme.

Group Numbers

We can train up to 20 people in this programme at our training centre, and you can have the same number provided there is adequate comfortable seating at your site.

Facilities

At Sydney Safety we have a room that will seat comfortably up to 20 people with all presentation equipment.

At your site a training room suitable for the number of people being booked.  A digital projector or large format screen (we can bring own projector) for the presentation to be screened on.

Cost

Please call 0298923370 for group rates

 

Accreditation

NSW Crystalline Silica Awareness

At the moment RTO Safety Training are placing on the scope for issue in the future the following UOCs.

  • CPCSIL3001 – Work with products and materials containing crystalline silica; or
  • CPCSIL4001 – Supervise and manage work with products and materials generating respirable crystalline silica

Issued by RTO Safety Training #40992

Download your copy of the Silica Code of Practice to understand the issues and your legal obligations.

Group Booking Form :  Booking form

Site Requirements:  RST T-0021 Onsite Training Check List

Please call 02 9892 3370 to discuss this program.

 

Do risks from silica still exist in workplaces?

The major risks previously observed in silica-exposed populations have been greatly diminished over the last five decades; however, thousands of workers are still potentially at risk from exposure.
Silica remains an important risk factor for respiratory disease. Respiratory disease is a work-related disease in focus for recognition, prevention and management with Safe Work Australia.

Why does respirable crystalline silica represent a workplace hazard?

Silicosis

The basic concern about quartz or RCS is that it is toxic to the human body in several ways. Principally it is fibrogenic (promoting the development of fibrous tissue) to the lung causing silicosis.
It is the silica dusts, mostly smaller than10 μm in diameter, that are potentially damaging to the lung. This size range cannot be seen by the naked eye in ordinary lighting. That fraction of a dust cloud which penetrates to the alveolar space of the lung is referred to as the respirable fraction. The respirable fraction of a dust cloud must be measured to assess the disease risk from dusts containing RCS. Size and surface area of particles are important determinants of their toxicity but are not specifically measured.

What kinds of workplaces and processes expose workers to silica?

Industries

Because silica is widely encountered in extractive industries, in the manufacture of many concrete based building materials, and finds widespread use in manufacturing processes, the number of Queensland workers potentially exposed is large. Typical leading industries include:

  • tunneling
  • foundries
  • stonemasonry
  • cement manufacturing
  • power generation
  • brick and tile manufacturing
  • ceramics
  • construction, including granite grinding and polishing
  • metal polishing
  • architectural abrasive blasting
  • quarrying
  • mining