As part of our commitment to you, we will always promote best practices and provide solutions to work safely with our products. In line with this, to reflect changes to workplace exposure standards, we have updated our resources to give you the most current information to keep you well informed.
We have created a NEW Working Safely with Silica online training module, click here to register.
For training support and technical queries, call us on 13 11 03.
Like many building materials (AAC, brick, concrete, tiles, stone), sand is used in the manufacture of fibre cement because it is an inert, durable and non-combustible material. Sand is largely composed of crystalline silica which is a natural compound that is also found in clay, coal, granite, slate, sandstone, and other minerals. Crystalline silica is hazardous to health when inhaled in the form of a very fine “respirable” dust.
Fibre cement products are not considered hazardous in their manufactured state, but the very fine dust generated when using high speed tools (e.g. circular saws, drills, grinders) presents a hazard and it is important to manage the associated risk by adopting Best Practice controls. Cutting fibre cement products can be performed safely by following our guidelines, which are designed to reduce the amount of dust produced and/or minimise the risk of exposure.
The resources available here will help make it as easy as possible for you to understand how to use our fibre cement products properly and safely.
The workplace exposure standard for respirable crystalline silica was recently lowered to 0.05mg/m³ for an eight hour time weighted average. Compliance with the new standard when working with fibre cement can be achieved through following a number of simple steps such as making a plan, using the right controls and training/educating your employees.
For information on the safe use of our products, please refer to our Safety Data Sheets (SDS), Best Practice Guide and product installation guides available on the relevant product page.