SafeWork NSW: Silica Worker Register Launching 01 Oct 25

Come 01 Oct 25, a new chapter begins in New South Wales workplace health and safety. SafeWork NSW is rolling out a Silica Worker Register, requiring PCBUs to record every worker who is involved in high-risk crystalline silica processing.

On the surface, it’s just another “register.” In reality, it marks a turning point in how regulators are addressing the very real risks of silicosis and silica-related diseases.

For workers on the tools, it means more than just paperwork—it means their health history, screening, and training will finally be tracked in a way that can’t be brushed aside.

Why This Matters

Crystalline silica is not some obscure hazard. It’s in engineered stone, concrete, tiles, bricks, you name it. Cut, drill, or grind the wrong way and you’re releasing dust finer than talc that can scar lungs for life.

We’ve seen tragic cases of workers in their 20s and 30s being diagnosed with accelerated silicosis. The medical community has likened it to the asbestos of our generation.

That’s the backdrop to this register. It’s not about red tape—it’s about making sure a worker’s exposure, training, and health checks are on the record so nobody falls through the cracks.

The Nuts and Bolts of the Register

Here’s what SafeWork NSW has confirmed:

• Launch Date: 01 Oct 25

• Who’s Covered: All workers involved in high-risk crystalline silica processing (engineered stone, cutting, grinding, polishing, etc.)

• What PCBUs Must Do: Record worker details in the register, keep it up to date, and use it to support health screening and training compliance.

• Purpose: Build a statewide picture of who’s at risk, monitor health outcomes, and support enforcement of safe practices.

From July 2025, SafeWork NSW also assumed its new role as a standalone regulator, marking one of the first major initiatives under its own name, separate from a broader government department.

A Step Change for Inspectors and Enforcement

I can tell you from experience: when inspectors arrive at a site and start asking about silica, the first thing we’re looking for is evidence. Have workers been trained? Have they been health-screened? Are there exposure records?

Up until now, that evidence has lived in folders in site offices—or worse, not at all.

A central register changes the game. Inspectors will no longer have to rely on a PCBU’s word that “all workers are trained” or “we’ve done the screenings.” SafeWork will be able to check against the register, cutting through the bluff.

And for PCBUs, that means this isn’t just about filling in forms. It’s about accountability that will be visible at the regulator’s end.

What It Means for PCBUs

If you’re a PCBU in NSW, here’s the reality:

• No more grey areas: If a worker is performing high-risk silica tasks, they must be registered.

• More than admin: This isn’t just uploading names. It links directly to training records, screening, and risk control evidence.

• Enforcement edge: SafeWork inspectors will now have a clean line of sight. Any gaps will stand out instantly.

So, if your business hasn’t already tightened up its silica management, this register is the wake-up call. You can’t fudge it when the regulator has your worker list in front of them.

What It Means for Workers

For workers, this register could finally be the safety net that’s been missing.

Too often, I’ve seen young tradies bounce from site to site, employer to employer, with no continuity of health records. A worker could have been exposed for years before anyone noticed—because their new boss didn’t know, and the old boss didn’t care.

Now, their screening results, their training status, and their history of high-risk work can follow them. That matters when you’re talking about diseases that can take years to show symptoms.

It’s a small step toward what should be a given: your health shouldn’t depend on whether your last employer kept decent files.

Lessons From the Past

When I was an Inspector, silica wasn’t the hot topic it is today (but it was building momentum and a specialist team had been formed). I remember the way asbestos was handled: registers, mandatory health checks, and strict licensing. Silica is now heading down the same path, and rightly so.

I also remember how hard it was to tackle bullying and harassment cases without proper systems in place. Back then, I’d often pull in one of the psychosocial inspectors because they had the right expertise and focus. Without that, cases could get buried.

The silica register is the same principle: if you want to change outcomes, you need data, visibility, and a system that makes it harder to ignore the problem.

Will This Fix Everything?

No. A register doesn’t eliminate dust on its own. Water suppression, on-tool extraction, PPE, and air monitoring—those are still the frontline controls.

But what the register does is force the issue open. It ensures every high-risk worker is counted, and it gives SafeWork NSW the ability to target health checks and interventions where they’re most needed.

It’s not a silver bullet, but it is a powerful lever.