What Are Administrative Dust Controls?

Administrative controls are workplace rules, procedures and management arrangements designed to reduce the likelihood, frequency or duration of exposure.

Examples include:

• Planning dusty work before it begins.
• Selecting safer working methods.
• Scheduling and sequencing high-dust tasks.
• Restricting access to dusty areas.
• Providing information, instruction and training.
• Establishing safe cleaning and waste-disposal procedures.
• Inspecting work and enforcing the required controls.

Administrative controls depend on people following them consistently. Effective communication, supervision and monitoring are therefore essential.

Planning Work That May Produce Silica Dust

Proper job planning is an important administrative control. Dust risks and suitable control measures should be identified before work begins.

Planning should consider:

• Which materials contain crystalline silica.
• Which tasks are likely to generate respirable dust.
• Where the work will take place.
• Who could be exposed.
• Whether the work can be eliminated or completed using a less dusty method.
• Which engineering controls and RPE will be required.
• How the work area and equipment will be cleaned safely.
• How dusty waste and slurry will be contained and removed.

Good planning prevents avoidable exposure and ensures that the necessary controls are available before work starts.

Scheduling and Sequencing Dust-Producing Work

The timing and sequence of work can help reduce the number of people exposed to silica dust. Where reasonably practicable, high-dust activities should be separated from other work.

This may involve:

• Completing dusty tasks before other trades enter the area.
• Scheduling work when fewer people are present.
• Preventing other activities from taking place nearby.
• Allowing sufficient time for safe cleaning before an area is reopened.
• Coordinating contractors so that one activity does not expose another workforce.

Scheduling work when fewer people are present does not remove the risk to those completing the task. Suitable source controls and personal protection must still be provided and used.

Should Workers Be Rotated During Dusty Tasks?

Limiting the duration of exposure may form part of a wider control strategy, but worker rotation must not be used as a substitute for effective engineering controls.

Rotating employees through hazardous work can increase the number of people exposed. Employers should first eliminate or reduce the dust, isolate the work and use suitable extraction or water suppression.

Where working time is restricted as an additional precaution, it must be based on the COSHH risk assessment and must not be used to justify inadequately controlled work.

Good Housekeeping and Silica Dust Control

Good housekeeping prevents hazardous dust from accumulating and being disturbed again. Work areas should be cleaned regularly using methods that do not make settled dust airborne.

Suitable housekeeping arrangements should include:

• Cleaning surfaces and equipment at appropriate intervals.
• Removing waste material promptly.
• Containing dusty waste in suitable bags or containers.
• Emptying extraction equipment using safe procedures.
• Preventing contaminated footwear and clothing from spreading dust.
• Dealing safely with slurry produced by wet-cutting systems.

A clean and orderly work area reduces secondary exposure and prevents silica dust from spreading into clean areas.

Why Dry Sweeping Must Be Avoided

Dry sweeping can disturb settled silica dust and release large quantities of fine particles back into the air. This can expose the person cleaning and anyone else nearby.

Safer cleaning methods include:

• Using a suitable M-class industrial dust extractor.
• Using an H-class extractor where the risk assessment requires a higher standard.
• Using suitable wet-cleaning methods.
• Damping down dust before carefully collecting it.

Compressed air should not be used to remove silica dust from surfaces, equipment or clothing. It can create a concentrated cloud of hazardous airborne dust.

Ordinary domestic vacuum cleaners are also unsuitable because they may not capture fine respirable particles and could release them back into the workplace.

Safe Disposal of Silica Dust and Waste

Dust collected by extraction systems must be removed and disposed of without creating further exposure. Employers should follow the equipment manufacturer's instructions and the site's waste procedures.

Safe arrangements may include:

• Using suitable dust-collection bags or sealed containers.
• Avoiding overfilling extraction units.
• Closing or sealing waste bags before moving them.
• Wearing appropriate RPE and PPE during emptying where required.
• Cleaning any spills using a suitable dust extractor or wet method.
• Disposing of waste through an appropriate waste stream.

Collected dust must not be tipped into an open skip or container in a way that releases it back into the air.

Silica Dust Exclusion Zones

Barriers, signs and access restrictions can be used to establish an exclusion zone around high-dust work. This reduces the number of people who could be exposed.

An effective exclusion zone should:

• Cover the area into which dust could reasonably spread.
• Use suitable barriers or physical separation where practicable.
• Display clear warning signs.
• Restrict entry to trained and authorised workers.
• Remain in place until the task and safe cleaning have been completed.

An exclusion zone does not protect the workers inside it. Those carrying out the task still require effective engineering controls and suitable RPE where necessary.

Worker Information, Instruction and Training

Workers must receive suitable information, instruction and training so that they understand the hazards and know how to follow the required control measures.

Training should cover:

• The health risks associated with respirable crystalline silica.
• Which materials and tasks can produce hazardous dust.
• How to use extraction and water-suppression systems.
• How to inspect controls before starting work.
• How to use and check RPE correctly.
• Safe cleaning and waste-disposal methods.
• How to recognise and report defective controls.

Even well-designed equipment will not provide adequate protection if workers do not understand how to use it correctly.

Supervision and Enforcement of Dust Controls

Managers and supervisors must regularly check that the agreed control measures remain in place and are being followed. This may include routine inspections, workplace observations and spot checks.

Supervisors should confirm that:

• Extraction and water-suppression systems are used correctly.
• Workers wear suitable RPE when required.
• Exclusion zones remain secure.
• Dusty waste is contained and disposed of safely.
• Dry cutting, dry sweeping and cleaning with compressed air do not occur.
• Defective controls are reported and removed from use.

If an essential control is missing or ineffective, the work should be stopped until adequate protection has been restored. Consistent supervision and enforcement are vital for maintaining effective silica dust control.