Safety regulator reminds NSW miners that silica work register requirements will take effect on 1 October 2025

Sep 19th 2025 | Stephen Kariahe

Safety regulator reminds NSW miners that silica work register requirements will take effect on 1 October 2025

From 1 October 2025, NSW businesses must register silica-exposed workers with SafeWork NSW. The NSW Resources Regulator has reminded metal mine and quarry operators that the silica worker register requirement takes effect on that date under the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2017.

Key points

Start date: 1 October 2025.
Coverage: all metal mines and quarries in NSW.
What to lodge: details of every worker engaged in high risk processes involving crystalline silica substances.
Where to lodge: SafeWork NSW.
Exemption: operations covered by Coal Services Order 43 Health Surveillance.

What the silica work register requires

Every person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) at a metal mine or quarry must submit worker details by the 1 October 2025 deadline. SafeWork NSW is rolling the scheme out as a living record, so entries need updating whenever crews, tasks or job scopes change.

Who must be registered in NSW

Employees based at metal mines and quarries throughout New South Wales.
Contractors and labour-hire personnel performing high risk work on silica-bearing material.
Operators of cutting, grinding, crushing and sizing equipment capable of generating respirable particles.

Build the register from your plant inventory

Accuracy begins with a current list of machinery used on silica-bearing rock. Match each item of equipment — wet-cut saws, jackhammers, fixed crushing equipment — to the people who operate it and to the control measures already documented.

A documented risk assessment underpins the whole exercise. Confirm that water suppression equipment delivers its designed flow rate, that extraction equipment captures particles at the source, and that respiratory protective equipment fits every wearer.

Service history carries the same weight as register entries. Inspectors routinely ask to see equipment maintenance logs, filter change intervals and calibration records for measuring devices fitted to mobile equipment.

Equipment checks that support compliance

Isolation: verify energy isolation points on each item of equipment before servicing.
On-tool capture: fit shrouds and water feeds to hand-held equipment instead of relying on general ventilation.
Airflow: measure performance at enclosed cabins and confirm filtration equipment meets manufacturer specifications.
Breathing protection: store, clean and fit-check breathing equipment in line with the relevant Australian Standard.
Records: keep equipment registers, inspection sheets and repair notes ready for audit.

Who is exempt

Sites covered by “Coal Services Order 43 Health Surveillance” are exempt, and the regulator confirms those workplaces “do not need to comply”. Coal businesses should still record how existing surveillance arrangements satisfy that standard.

Five steps before 1 October

Map each task involving silica-bearing material and rank it by risk.
Check that risk controls appear in standard operating procedures and job instructions.
Gather worker names, roles and commencement dates ready for lodgement.
Nominate one accountable owner who keeps register entries current.
Brief supervisors so source control leads decision-making, with protection worn as backup.

Safety regulator reminds NSW miners that silica work register requirements will take effect on 1 October 2025