Silica dust risk assessment template

A silica dust assessment must start with the material and the task that will create dust. Cutting a concrete kerb, dry grinding masonry, drilling anchor holes and cleaning rubble can expose people in different ways. Copy the worksheet below, identify the actual material and select controls from the relevant HSE construction silica task sheet. The form is a planning tool, not an exposure measurement or proof of compliance.

Respirable crystalline silica (RCS) is the fine dust fraction produced when silica-containing materials such as concrete, brick, stone or some tiles are cut, drilled, ground or broken. It can damage lungs. The duty is to prevent exposure where reasonably practicable and otherwise adequately control it under COSHH. The presence of a workplace exposure limit does not mean that any dusty job below that number is automatically acceptable; apply effective control at source and review whether it works. HSE's construction dust guidance recommends an assess, control and review approach.

This page is distinct from the live generic COSHH assessment template. The generic page explains the overall COSHH process; this worksheet addresses the task-specific RCS decision, including material, method, extraction/water, people nearby, RPE and clean-up. It should link back to the generic owner. No exact indexed Complys silica dust risk-assessment template was observed on the UK host on 5 October 2026; repository/in-flight ownership remains to check.

Decide whether the dust can be prevented

Can you use a pre-cut component, alter the design, use a lower-dust fixing, cut off site or choose a method that avoids the dusty operation? If the work still generates RCS, identify the exact process and duration. HSE provides separate task sheets for scabbling, chasing, drilling, cutting blocks and other jobs because the controls are not interchangeable. Do not copy a “wet cutting” line into a task where water creates an electrical or other hazard without an appropriate technical plan.

For many cutting and grinding tasks, on-tool extraction or water suppression is central, with suitable RPE as an additional control. Select an extraction unit, shroud, hose and filter suitable for the dust and tool. Check connections and maintenance. Assess where the water or captured waste goes. HSE's scabbling/grinding guidance notes that this can be high-risk work producing very high silica dust levels. If the planned system does not match the task sheet or a competent occupational-hygiene assessment, do not assume a disposable mask alone will make it safe.

Copy-and-complete RCS task assessment

The control column should contain a specific method and piece of equipment, not “dust suppression in place.” State who checks extraction airflow, water delivery, shroud fit and hose integrity, and what happens if any part fails. Include colleagues, residents or the public outside the immediate work area; dust can travel beyond the operator.

Practical work sequence

1. Confirm the material, task and any separate asbestos/lead/other hazardous-material survey before disturbance. If uncertain, stop and obtain competent advice.
2. Check whether the dusty task can be designed out or done by a less dusty method. Select the relevant HSE silica task guidance or occupational-hygiene plan.
3. Set up and inspect the chosen extraction or wet-suppression system, power supply and tool. Confirm the waste route and that water will not create new slip or electrical risk.
4. Establish the exclusion area and brief workers. Check RPE selection, fit and use, plus other tool risks such as noise, vibration and flying fragments.
5. Run the control before generating dust and keep it working through the task. Observe visible escape, equipment performance and actual work duration. A worker should have authority to stop when the control fails.
6. Clean with a suitable filtered vacuum or wet method; do not dry brush or use compressed air to disperse dust. Bag or contain waste as the material assessment requires.
7. Record defects, exposure concerns and any monitoring result. Review the assessment before a new material, tool, method, duration or enclosure is used.

Example: a crew needs to cut concrete paving units. The supervisor checks whether units can be supplied to size, then chooses a suitable cutting method and the HSE task sheet for cut-off saws. It specifies the water supply, RPE, work area and cleaning procedure. A nearby pedestrian route is closed or effectively separated. If water supply stops, the crew stops cutting rather than continuing dry with the same mask. The assessment also covers electrical/fuel, noise, vibration and blade hazards, but those do not displace the RCS controls.

Monitoring, health surveillance and review

Do not invent an exposure result from tool time or a visual estimate. A competent person decides whether monitoring is needed to demonstrate adequate control, especially where tasks, materials or control effectiveness are uncertain. Health surveillance may be required for workers exposed to RCS where the applicable criteria are met; record the occupational-health decision and protect personal health information. The form should not casually prescribe annual lung-function testing for everyone, and it should not state that no surveillance is needed merely because dust seems low.

Review the real controls on site: dust visible outside the extraction zone, a blocked vacuum, worn blade, changed substrate or complaints from nearby occupants all warrant action. An assessment filed after the job has started is not a control. Keep the current version with the RAMS and brief workers on changes.

Links and Complys boundary

Link to the live COSHH template, RAMS pillar and verified risk assessment software page. CTA: complete the RCS task assessment with competent input, check source controls on site and retain the approved version in the organisation's verified workflow. Do not claim Complys measures dust concentrations, selects certified extraction, provides occupational-health surveillance or declares COSHH compliance without actual implementation evidence.

Source, claim and writer-side QA register

Intent/cannibalisation: specific silica-dust task assessment, distinct from generic COSHH template and generic power-tools assessment. Repo/in-flight check remains. Product truth: no monitoring or certification claim. Jurisdiction: GB. Writer-side QA: copyable form, task-specific HSE source mapping, unknown-material and control-failure gates, metadata and links checked. Competent occupational-hygiene, product, canonical and whole-page publication review remains.