---
title: "Controlling silica dust exposure | Sweepers PTY LTD"
url: https://sweepers.com.au/knowledge/controlling-silica-dust-exposure/
description: "Why dry sweeping is a problem on silica sites, and how the right cleaning equipment helps."
---

[KNOWLEDGE HUB](https://sweepers.com.au/knowledge/)/[HEALTH & SAFETY](https://sweepers.com.au/knowledge/?topic=Health%20%26%20safety)

GUIDE6 MIN READ

# Controlling silica dust exposure

Why dry sweeping is a problem on silica sites, and how the right cleaning equipment helps.

REVIEWED 20 OCTOBER 2026 BY MARK SCULL, OWNER · SWEEPERS PTY LTD

IN THIS GUIDE

[Browse sweepers](https://sweepers.com.au/product-category/sweeper-machines/)

Respirable crystalline silica is released when materials like concrete, brick, tile and stone are cut, ground, drilled or swept. The particles are small enough to reach deep into the lungs, and long-term exposure is linked to silicosis, lung cancer and other serious disease.

## The exposure standard

Safe Work Australia's workplace exposure standard for respirable crystalline silica is 0.05 mg/m³, averaged over an eight-hour working day in a five-day week. That's a very small amount of dust, often invisible, which is why controls matter even when a site looks clean.

From 1 December 2026, workplace exposure standards are renamed workplace exposure limits, and a lower silica limit of 0.025 mg/m³ has been proposed. Check Safe Work Australia for the limit that applies to your site.

## Why dry sweeping is a problem

A broom or blower puts settled silica dust back into the air where workers breathe it. Housekeeping on silica sites should use methods that capture dust rather than move it.

## Better ways to clean up

—Sweepers with enclosed hoppers, active dust control and high-grade filtration.

—Industrial vacuums with filtration suited to hazardous dust.

—Wet methods, such as scrubbers, that keep dust damp and out of the air.

—Respiratory protection as a backup, not the only control.

## Keep the machine part of the control

Filters only work when they're in good condition. Check, clean and replace them on schedule, and empty hoppers in a way that doesn't release the dust you've just collected.

GOOD TO KNOW

This guide is general information. Check the current requirements with Safe Work Australia or your state regulator for your site.

WHERE TO NEXT

[Floor cleaning machines for construction sites](https://sweepers.com.au/floor-cleaning-machines-for-construction-sites-australia/)

[Industrial vacuums](https://sweepers.com.au/vacuums/)

[Sweepers for mining and quarries](https://sweepers.com.au/mining-and-quarry-sweepers-australia/)

SOURCES

[Safe Work Australia: workplace exposure standard for respirable crystalline silica ↗](https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/safety-topic/hazards/silica/whs-duties-silica/workplace-exposure-standard-respirable-crystalline-silica)

Want a machine recommendation?

[Get a free quote](https://sweepers.com.au/free-quote/)

## Keep reading

[All guides & FAQs](https://sweepers.com.au/knowledge/)

[ARTICLE · 4 MIN Removing toxins with sweeper machines Read](https://sweepers.com.au/knowledge/removing-toxins-with-sweeper-machines/)

[GUIDE · 5 MIN Health and safety when operating floor machines Read](https://sweepers.com.au/knowledge/health-and-safety/)

[GUIDE · 5 MIN How sweeper machines work Read](https://sweepers.com.au/knowledge/how-sweeper-machines-work/)

---

**Sweepers PTY LTD** · 122 Bromley St, Cornubia QLD 4130, Australia · 1300 387 713 · 07 3287 9960 · sales@sweepers.com.au · https://sweepers.com.au/