Silica dust exposure incident report template

Writing up a silica exposure

Silica dust is easy to miss because it’s fine and pale and the effects take years. That makes the record matter. A report written today may be the sole trace of an exposure when someone is unwell a decade from now.

Fields to capture

These fields describe the dust, the control and the people, which is what a later review will want.

• Material being worked: concrete, engineered stone, brick, tile or mortar
• Task: cutting, grinding, drilling, chasing, sweeping or blasting
• Controls in use: water suppression, on-tool extraction, enclosure or none
• Respirator worn, its type, and whether it was fitted
• Duration of the task and how many shifts it was repeated
• Other people nearby and how far away
• Visible dust and where it settled

What a good record looks like

A strong record is specific about the task and the control. “Dry cutting engineered stone, no extraction, forty minutes, two people” says far more than “dusty job”. It also lists everyone nearby, since bystanders are exposed too.

Where reports go wrong

Exposure reports are rare because nothing hurts at the time. The record then has no date or duration. People also write down the respirator and forget whether it was fitted, which matters more than the brand.

Serious injuries and the regulator

Silica is a long-term health issue, and the regulator’s guidance on it is detailed. The notifiable incidents page explains which events are reported at once. For health monitoring and exposure standards, ask your regulator.

Where Haznote fits

Haznote saves a voice note, a photo of the dust and the task, and the time, and a manager confirms the category. It doesn’t measure dust or health outcomes. The report is the dated record that other checks and monitoring build on.