Silica risk control plan (SRCP)

A silica risk control plan (SRCP) is the document a business must prepare before carrying out high-risk crystalline silica processing, setting out how the silica dust risk will be controlled. It became a duty under the Work Health and Safety Amendment (Crystalline Silica Substances) Regulation 2024, in force from 1 September 2024 (verified 2026-05-25, Safe Work Australia).

When it’s required:

The rules cover processing of any material with at least 1% crystalline silica (concrete, brick, stone, tiles).
The business (PCBU) must assess whether the processing is high risk.
If it is high risk, a silica risk control plan must be completed before work starts. Uncontrolled processing is prohibited.

What it covers (built from the risk assessment): the silica processing tasks and how they are done; the control measures (water suppression, on-tool dust extraction or LEV, respiratory protection) and how they are used and maintained; air and health monitoring arrangements; and review triggers.

Wider 2024 to 2025 silica reforms: engineered stone has its own prohibition regime, and from 1 October 2025 workers doing high-risk silica processing must be notified to the Silica Worker Register within 28 days for health monitoring (verified 2026-05-25, SafeWork NSW).

For a builder: if your work involves high-risk silica processing (for example dry-cutting or grinding concrete or stone at volume), you need a silica risk control plan in place before the work starts. It is not optional, and it is separate from your general SWMS (though they overlap). Keep it current and tie it to the actual controls on site.

Also known as: SRCP, crystalline silica risk control plan.

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