Victoria’s silica guidance distinguishes the legal standard from its precautionary recommendation

October 7, 2026

WorkSafe Victoria’s current silica guidance identifies a mandatory respirable crystalline silica standard of 0.05 mg/m³ as an eight-hour time-weighted average. It separately recommends keeping exposure at or below 0.02 mg/m³ on the same averaging basis as a precautionary measure. The regulator page distinguishes those roles.

The Victoria silica baseline record reports this distinction without asserting a new 2025 reduction. The checked national WES list also retains the 0.05 mg/m³ respirable entries; national policy decisions and local legal application remain separately identified.

Use the right comparison basis

The Victorian guidance measures concentration within the employee’s breathing zone, outside respiratory protective equipment. It also states that the TWA needs adjustment where working hours exceed the standard eight-hour day or 40-hour week. A site-specific adjusted value requires the actual working hours.

APT’s practical interpretation is to label a workplace’s precautionary control target separately from the mandatory exposure standard. Both can inform an exposure program, but an internal target should preserve its purpose and source.

The guidance’s safety-basics document provides related context. A measurement requires the respirable silica fraction and stated averaging period before comparison. General dust mass or a short task reading should not be treated as the same exposure basis without a technically supported assessment.

For related developments, consult the industrial hygiene regulatory tracker.