What is health monitoring and who needs it?

Health monitoring, or health screening, ensures any changes to the worker’s health can be detected as early as possible. Screening is recommended to be conducted every 12 months as best practice.

Health monitoring must be provided if workers are involved in any ongoing work that creates RCS dust and there is significant risk to their health, even if respiratory protection is used to control exposure. Health monitoring may also be required for workers who are regularly in the vicinity of RCS or exposed in other ways, like cleaning work areas or equipment where the dust is present. If you’re unsure if there is a risk to workers, you should get specialist advice from an occupational hygienist.

Health monitoring must be carried out by or under the supervision of a medical practitioner with experience in health monitoring.

It may involve screening, a medical questionnaire, respiratory function tests, chest x-rays, or a CT scan.

PCBUs have a legal requirement to provide health monitoring for at-risk workers undertaking high risk crystalline silica processing, as listed in Schedule 14 of the WHS Regulation 2025. Failure to provide health monitoring to workers may result in compliance action by SafeWork NSW, including fines and prosecution.