Risk Assessment for Dust and Silica on Construction Sites UK
By the Riskora Editorial Team · Reviewed against our editorial standards · Last reviewed
Workers exposed to construction dust? Riskora generates COSHH risk assessments covering silica dust, wood dust, general construction dust, RPE selection, and health surveillance.
UK (RAMS) example document — Two-Storey Rear Extension — 14 Birchwood Lane, Reading. Client: Mr & Mrs A. Whitfield (Private Client). Site: 14 Birchwood Lane, Reading, RG1 5JT. Scope: Construction of a two-storey rear extension (6.4m × 4.2m) to an existing semi-detached dwelling. Works comprise breaking out of existing rear elevation, trench-fill foundations to 1.0m, traditional cavity blockwork to first floor, pre-stressed concrete lintels, timber roof structure with natural slate finish, plus alterations to existing rear wall to form structural opening with rolled steel joist (RSJ 203×102 UB23). Works programmed over 9 weeks with a peak site team of 6 operatives. Hazards assessed: Manual handling — blocks, lintels, plasterboard, Working at height — independent scaffold & roof structure, Buried services strike during excavation, Collapse of excavation / trench wall, Hand-arm vibration (HAVS) — breaking out, drilling, Silica dust — cutting blocks, brick, concrete, Vehicle/pedestrian segregation — narrow domestic street.
Full version
Takes less than 5 minutes
No card required · 1 free PDF · Upgrade any time (completely free)
Do I need a separate risk assessment for silica dust?
Yes. COSHH 2002 requires a substance-specific assessment whenever respirable crystalline silica (RCS) may be generated — cutting, drilling, scabbling or grinding concrete, stone, brick or mortar. The assessment must record the workplace exposure limit (0.1 mg/m³ over 8 hours), the controls used, RPE selection, and the health surveillance arrangements. A generic 'dust' entry on a site risk assessment is not enough.
Silica Dust Is a Silent Killer
Construction dust kills more workers than any other occupational hazard. Silica dust from cutting, drilling, and grinding concrete, stone, and brick causes silicosis — an irreversible and potentially fatal lung disease. The HSE estimates that over 500 construction workers die each year from silica-related diseases. COSHH requires a specific risk assessment for dust exposure, with controls following the hierarchy — elimination, suppression, extraction, RPE. Many professionals are unsure about the legal requirements for safety documentation.
The HSE workplace exposure limit for respirable crystalline silica is 0.1 mg/m³ (8-hour TWA). COSHH requires that exposure is prevented or adequately controlled. The HSE's 'Dust Kills' campaign targets construction dust as a priority.
How Riskora Helps
Riskora generates dust and silica risk assessments with COSHH sections covering dust types, exposure scenarios, workplace exposure limits, control measures, RPE selection, and health surveillance requirements. You can also use our standalone risk assessment builder or method statement tool.
Who it's for
- Groundworks teams cutting concrete and paving
- Demolition contractors generating dust during breaking work
- Stone masons cutting and shaping natural stone
- Joiners and carpenters generating wood dust
Understand the Fundamentals
Before you generate your document, these guides cover the knowledge that underpins every good RAMS, risk assessment, and method statement.
UK Legal Requirements for Risk Assessments
What the law requires for risk assessments under MHSWR 1999 and when they must be recorded.
RAMS vs Risk Assessment
When a standalone risk assessment is enough and when you need a full RAMS document.
How to Write a RAMS Document
If your risk assessment needs to be part of a RAMS, this guide covers the full structure.
What Is a RAMS Document?
Learn how risk assessments fit within the RAMS framework used across UK construction.
Construction Safety Documents Explained
An overview of the key safety documents required on UK construction sites and how they relate to each other.
RAMS vs Risk Assessment — Key Differences
When you need a full RAMS versus a standalone risk assessment, and how the two documents work together.
Key Risks and Considerations
- •Silicosis — irreversible lung scarring from crystalline silica
- •Lung cancer — silica dust is a Group 1 carcinogen
- •COPD — chronic obstructive pulmonary disease from dust inhalation
- •Asthma — occupational asthma from wood dust and other sensitisers
- •Eye irritation — dust particles causing damage
- •Skin irritation — cement dust and chemical irritants
What UK Law Actually Says
Direct quotes from the named regulations, with plain-English explanations of what each one means in practice.
Regulation 6, Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002
“An employer shall not carry out work which is liable to expose any employees to any substance hazardous to health unless he has made a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risk created by that work to the health of those employees and of the steps that need to be taken.”
Before any cutting, drilling or grinding that produces silica dust starts, the employer must have written a substance-specific COSHH assessment. 'Suitable and sufficient' means the assessment names the substance, quantifies likely exposure and lists the controls — a one-line entry on a generic risk assessment will not satisfy a HSE inspection.
Read the source on legislation.gov.uk →Schedule 1, Workplace Exposure Limits — EH40/2005
“Respirable crystalline silica: 0.1 mg/m³ — 8-hour time-weighted average. This is a legally binding workplace exposure limit.”
0.1 mg/m³ is the absolute legal ceiling, but it is not a 'safe' level — the HSE recommends keeping exposure as low as reasonably practicable. In practice that means on-tool water suppression or LEV plus FFP3 RPE for most cutting tasks, not RPE alone.
Read the source on legislation.gov.uk →The Numbers Behind the Risk
Why this matters — the most recent published figures from the Health and Safety Executive and ONS.
Around 500 construction workers die each year from past silica exposure
Silicosis and silica-related lung cancer are the largest single contributor to occupational cancer deaths in UK construction. The disease typically develops 10 to 30 years after exposure, so today's controls protect tomorrow's workforce.
Source: HSE — Silica and construction →12,000 lung disease deaths per year linked to past workplace exposures
HSE figures show occupational lung disease — including silicosis, asbestosis and COPD — kills around 12,000 UK workers a year, the majority traceable to dust exposure decades earlier.
Source: HSE Annual Statistics — Work-related lung disease →Common Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)
1. Listing 'dust mask' as the only control
Why it fails: RPE sits at the bottom of the COSHH hierarchy. Relying on it alone shows the writer hasn't considered elimination, water suppression or LEV — and inspectors will reject the assessment on that basis.
Fix: Document the hierarchy explicitly: can the cut be made off-site? If not, on-tool water suppression or M-class LEV first; FFP3 RPE only as the final layer.
2. No face-fit test record for tight-fitting RPE
Why it fails: Regulation 7(9) of COSHH requires that tight-fitting facepieces are face-fit tested to the wearer. Without a record, the RPE is legally not 'adequate'.
Fix: Reference the wearer's face-fit certificate (Fit2Fit accredited) in the assessment and re-test if the wearer changes weight, dental work or facial hair.
3. Omitting health surveillance
Why it fails: Where exposure is significant, COSHH Regulation 11 requires health surveillance — typically lung function (spirometry) tests at defined intervals.
Fix: Name the surveillance scheme, provider and frequency in the assessment so the principal contractor can audit it.
Key Features
- COSHH dust assessment structure
- Silica-specific controls
- RPE selection guidance
- Dust suppression measures
- Health surveillance requirements
- Download to PDF
Example Structure (UK Standard)
- Project Details and Dust-Generating Activities
- COSHH Risk Assessment — Silica, Wood, General Dust
- Workplace Exposure Limits
- Control Hierarchy — Elimination, Suppression, Extraction, RPE
- RPE Selection and Face-Fit Testing
- Health Surveillance Requirements
- Monitoring and Review
- Sign-Off
Common Questions Before Getting Started
Will this take long?
Under 5 minutes. Select your trade, pick hazards, download.
Is it complicated?
No training needed. The guided builder walks you through every step.
Do I need experience?
If you know what work you're doing, you can use Riskora.
Is it free to try?
Yes. The Free plan needs no card — generate, review and download one free PDF. Upgrade any time for branding, DOCX, sign-off and higher limits.
Create your RAMS in under 5 minutes
No onboarding or setup needed — start generating documents instantly
Try Riskora FreeNo card required · 1 free PDF · Upgrade any time (completely free)
All documents generated by Riskora should be reviewed by a competent person before use on site. Riskora provides structured templates — professional judgement is always required.
What your RAMS actually contains
Riskora builds a structured, client-facing document — not a generic AI paragraph. Every section is shaped around your job, your site and your team.
Hazards
Task-specific hazards for the job, captured row by row — not a generic list pulled from an old RAMS.
Controls
Control measures mapped to each hazard with residual risk scoring after controls are applied.
PPE
PPE requirements tied to the activity and site, ready to brief to the team.
Method steps
Step-by-step method statement structured around how the work is actually sequenced on site.
Emergency arrangements
First aid, rescue plan, emergency contacts and site-specific escalation routes.
COSHH prompts
Substance prompts when the work involves chemicals, dusts, fumes or sealants — flagged early, not missed at review.
Sign-off
Operative sign-off captured against the document — names, dates and acknowledgement of the brief.
Version history
Every change tracked so you can show what was issued, when, and which version the team signed.
Approval status
Clear approval state on every document — draft, in review, approved, issued — visible across the team.
Audit trail
Who created it, who reviewed it, who signed it. A complete trail you can hand to a principal contractor or auditor.
From copied-and-pasted to site-specific
The reason RAMS get rejected is rarely the format — it's that the document is obviously generic. Riskora rebuilds it around this job, this site and this task.
Generic template copied from an old job.
- • Hazards and controls that don't match this site or task.
- • Method steps written for a different sequence of work.
- • No emergency arrangements specific to the location.
- • Client flags it as generic and asks for a rewrite.
Site-specific document structured around this job, site and task.
- • Hazards captured from the actual scope you pasted in.
- • Method steps sequenced for how the work runs on site.
- • Emergency arrangements and rescue plan tied to the location.
- • Approved internally, briefed to the team, signed off and stored.
From job details to signed-off document
A four-step workflow used by contractors, consultants and safety teams to turn informal job details into client-ready safety paperwork.
- 1Paste job details
Drop in a client email, a WhatsApp from the site manager, a scope of works or a tender note. Anything that describes the job.
- 2Riskora structures the document
Riskora turns your brief into hazards, controls, method steps, PPE, emergency arrangements and COSHH prompts.
- 3Review, edit and download
You stay in control of every section. Tweak anything, then download a clean PDF or share a link.
- 4Brief the team and record sign-off
Brief operatives, capture their sign-off and keep a full audit trail of who signed which version.
Built by people who've written this paperwork on real sites
Riskora is built by a founder with hands-on site and document experience — designed for contractors, consultants and safety teams who need to issue, brief and prove safety paperwork without losing a day to admin.
- Built for contractors, consultants and teams
Solo trades, principal contractors and in-house safety teams all run on the same workflow. - Supports multiple countries
UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, US and Canada — wording and document types match the local standard. - Not just documents
Sign-off, approvals, version history and an audit trail — the management workflow around the paperwork.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ready? It takes less than 5 minutes.
No training. No complex setup. Just select your trade and go.
Start Your RAMS Now — It's FreeNo card required · 1 free PDF · Upgrade for branding, DOCX, sign-off and audit trails (completely free)
Related Pages
- RAMS Generator — full guide
- Asbestos Risk Assessment Generator
- Risk Assessment for Lead Paint Removal — full guide
- Read: RAMS for Demolition Work
- Risk Assessment: Fire on Construction Sites UK
- Risk Assessment for Lone Working on Construction Sites UK
- Risk Assessment for Noise and Vibration on Construction Sites UK
- Construction Risk Assessment Template (UK)
References & Further Reading
Primary UK sources covering the legal and practical framework behind RAMS, risk assessments and method statements.
Create your RAMS free — preview before sign-up
Generate a preview first. Sign up only when you want to save, edit or export.
Final RAMS must be reviewed and approved by a competent person before use.
Riskora is an assistive document preparation tool. All documents generated must be reviewed, verified, and approved by a competent person before use on site. Riskora does not replace professional safety judgment, and no output should be treated as a legal compliance guarantee.