Silica dust remains one of the most serious, and often overlooked, killers in construction. Every day, workers are exposed to respirable crystalline silica, a hazard linked to life‑changing and fatal illnesses, yet awareness, training and consistency of control still vary widely across the industry. This exposure is causing irreparable damage with direct links to cardiovascular, autoimmune and cancer risks.
Research funded by CIOB, led by Dr Scott McGibbon and supported by FIS is working to change that. The project is already highlighting critical gaps in knowledge, skills, and behaviours around silica dust management, from understanding legal duties and health impacts, to applying effective control measures and monitoring exposure.
This is where you come in.
Your experience will directly shape practical tools, industry guidance and training interventions designed to improve how we assess, control and manage dust risk across our sector – protecting both workers and the public. The outputs will influence real-world practices, from site decision-making to leadership capability and compliance approaches.
Take 5 minutes. Make a real difference.
We need as many industry voices as possible to build a credible, evidence-led response to this issue.
Please complete the survey now: https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/t/T008FM/
And if you can share it with colleagues or contacts in your network – this is important.
The stronger the response, the greater the impact this work can have and the more people that understand the risk the better it will be.
Let’s not accept harmful exposure to dust is “part of the job” or stand by whilst people don’t think ahead to the impact on them and others, help us drive meaningful change. Together we are stronger.