Preventing Silica Exposure in the Workplace

Ashley: Hello and welcome to Health and Safety to Go, a podcast from the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety. Today we’re talking about silica. It’s naturally found in sand and rock, and in building materials like concrete and bricks. When these materials are cut, drilled, or crushed, dangerous silica dust is released. If a worker breathes it in, it can cause irreversible lung damage and serious occupational diseases, including cancer. Here to discuss a useful tool for managing this hazard is Meghan Friesen, an Occupational Hygienist at Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers. Thanks for being here, Meghan.

Meghan: It's great to be here. Thank you for having me on the show.

Ashley: So, to start, can you tell us a little bit more about the prevalence of silica in the workplace? Why is it such a concern?

Meghan: Well, silica is one of the most common airborne hazards on the work site, in particularly, in the construction industry. Other Industries, though, with important silica exposures I'd like to mention are manufacturing, mining and transportation. And so, while there are different kinds of silica, the most common form is called quartz. So, when you hear the word “quartz,” think of silica, silica that is found in lots of construction materials. It's in concrete, concrete masonry units, brick, mortar, granite, natural and artificial stone, ceiling tiles and ceramic tiles – just to name a few, and there are far more. In mining, and I'd like to touch on that as well, which includes aggregate pits and quarries, silica is found in sand, rock, stone and gravel. And with the largest industry being exposed to silica, research, it is really construction. And so that's where we see specialty trade contractors, the building construction industry, and heavy and civil engineering construction, those are the ones who really account for about 70 per cent of exposed workers. And there are other exposed workers, too. There are trade helpers, heavy equipment operators, plasterers, drywallers and even electricians.

Ashley: Oh yeah. So, tonnes of industries and different workers. And, you know, throughout construction and beyond. What about the illnesses that are associated with silica exposure? Can you tell us a little bit more about that?

Meghan: Yes, silica dust is a known human carcinogen. It's classified as a group 1 carcinogen of the lung by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. It is also known to cause silicosis. As you can tell from the name, silicosis – it very much lends itself to silica – that is a progressive and often fatal lung disease. And lastly, it is also linked to a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. So, in Canada, there are estimates of around 500 to 600 lung cancers per year linked to workplace silica exposure, specifically across Canada each year, which amounts to 2.5 per cent of all the lung cancers diagnosed annually. And most occupational lung cancers associated with silica occur among workers in the construction industry and they account for approximately 320 workers or cases per year.

Ashley: Okay, wow. What exactly is the Silica Control Tool and how does it work?

Meghan: Well, it's an online program, not a physical tool, kind of like the name might imply. But it's online and it requires a person to log in and use it. The Silica Control Tool encompasses actually two versions in Ontario – one that's designed for construction and one that is designed for surface mining. So, both of the versions do effectively the same thing. They help a worker or an employer conduct a silica risk assessment to help those employers implement dust controls and safe work practices at the job site. The design of it is really to be used by a variety of people – workers, joint health and safety committee members, union representatives, just to name a few. It's designed to be easy to use meaning that it will prompt you with simple questions. It has a look that should be appealing across the board, and it does not require any special training. So, the person who is using the tools simply logs in and then you just need to know actually just a few details about the work that's happening, of course, centered around silica. For example, is it new construction, renovation or demolition work? What kind of material is it? Concrete block, ceiling tiles? What task is being done? Are they being broken moved, chipped, grinded or even scarified? And then what type of tools are being used? Is it a power tool, or a hand tool? And so, using just a few of those inputs, the tool can calculate an estimated silica exposure risk. And then it also suggests controls. It will suggest how do you engineer out the hazard? How can you administratively control it? And lastly, it will make recommendations for personal protective equipment.

Ashley: Okay, great. Now we know the tool first launched as a pilot program in B.C., and we did have one of your colleagues on a couple of years ago to talk about it and its pilot program stages, can you speak to how its evolved since then? What's changed?

Meghan: Well, the tool was originally developed by the British Columbia Construction Safety Alliance, back in around 2017 in collaboration, with the University of British Columbia and WorkSafeBC. Since then, Alberta jumped on board. First in 2022, the Road Builders and Heavy Construction Association brought it to Alberta. In 2023, it was brought to Ontario by the Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers and also some of our system partners like IHSA. And then, most recently, if we head a little bit further east in 2025, it was launched in New Brunswick by WorkSafe New Brunswick and the New Brunswick Construction Safety Association.  

Meghan: Well, in August of 2025, the surface mining version of the Silica Control Tool was launched in Ontario. This version aims to help the aggregate pits in the quarry industry. They're working with a lot of silica containing materials like stone, gravel, rock, crushing can vary, and that sort of thing. So, that surface mining version incorporates data collected by the mining industry and also was kindly shared with us by the British Columbia Office of the Chief Inspector of Mines. So, people with existing accounts for the Ontario Silica Control Tool will automatically have access to both of these versions. When you visit the login page, you simply toggle between the two selections.

Ashley: That's great. So yeah. Sounds extremely user-friendly. So, we talked a little bit about who should be using the tool. Can you tell us any more about potential users and how they can access it?

Meghan: Yes. Well, the online tool is open to all – anyone working with or around silica dust is welcome to try it out. And it can be accessed at ontario.silicacontroltool.com and also surfaceminingontario.silicacontroltool.com. Or you can simply Google silica and Ontario and I believe it's one of the first options that pops up.

Ashley: Great. Thanks. Meghan. Is there anything else you want to share about the tool or preventing silica exposure overall before we wrap up? .

Meghan: Yes. So, if you reside outside of one of the four provinces previously mentioned, don't worry just reach out to silica@ochow.on.ca and a trial account can be made for you. So, we would love to have anyone really reach out and get a trial account made, and we will help you out with that.

Ashley: Amazing. Well, the Silica Control Tool has come a long way over the years. Looks like it's serving even more industries and jurisdictions and helping to prevent occupational diseases for as many workers as possible, which is great. Listeners who'd like to learn more can visit the Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers website directly at www.ohcow.on.ca. Thanks again Meghan and thanks everybody for listening. Stay safe out there.