Dust is a general term for fine particles suspended in the atmosphere. Dust can be generated by wind, disturbance of materials, release of gases, or some types of chemical reaction.
Dust can come from a wide variety of industrial activities, including:
- filling bags or emptying them into skips or other containers
- weighing loose powders
- cutting materials (for example, paving stones)
- sieving and screening operations
- conveying materials by mechanical means or by hand
- stockpiling large volumes of processed materials
- crushing and grading
- milling, grinding, sanding down or other similar operations
- cleaning and maintenance work
- handling livestock feed and bedding
- working with livestock and animal waste
- clearing up spillages.
Dust monitoring is also useful during construction activities that are likely to generate dust, including site preparation and ground level construction works.
While any type of dust can carry health risks, asbestos and silica dust are particularly harmful to health and are treated separately. Airsafe offers specialised services in asbestos air monitoring and respirable crystalline silica monitoring.
Inhalable dust vs respirable dust
Airsafe offers dust testing throughout Sydney and NSW for both inhalable dust and respirable dust. Respirable dust is a subset of inhalable dust, consisting of the smallest particles that penetrate the deepest into the respiratory system. Each type of dust has its own sampling method and exposure standards.
Inhalable dust consists of dust particles that are less than or equal to 100 micrometres in size – about one thirteenth the thickness of a five-cent piece. Inhalable dust particles can be inhaled through the nose or mouth. The human body gets rid of most inhalable dust by filtering it through nasal hair and mucous membranes, and by coughing and sneezing. However, too much inhalable dust can cause health and workplace safety issues including:
- reduced visibility
- symptoms such as runny nose, sneezing, watering eyes, coughing
- conditions such as rhinitis and bronchitis.
Respirable dust consists of dust particles that are less than or equal to 10 micrometres in size – about 1/130 the thickness of a five-cent piece. These particles are generally invisible except in certain lighting conditions. This is the subset of inhalable dust particles that are small enough to enter deep into the lungs where oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange occurs.
Most respirable dust is removed by white blood cells in the lungs. However, if too much respirable dust enters the lungs, it can overwhelm the body’s defence system. These particles can accumulate in the lung tissues, causing scarring and inflammation over time. This can lead to conditions including:
- emphysema
- chronic bronchitis
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Airsafe conducts inhalable dust monitoring in accordance with AS 3640 Workplace atmospheres – Method for sampling and gravimetric determination of inhalable dust, and respirable dust monitoring in accordance with AS 2985 Workplace atmospheres – Method for sampling and gravimetric determination of respirable dust. We compare the results to the workplace exposure standards for airborne contaminants (becoming workplace exposure limits from December 2026). There are exposure standards for specific substances, as well as guidance about exposure levels for dust that is not otherwise specified. Several of the specific limits tighten from December 2026. Portland cement moves from 10 mg/m3 inhalable to 1 mg/m3 respirable, and the softwood dust limit drops from 5 mg/m3 to 2 mg/m3. If your site has been working to the old figures, the same dust reading can move from a pass to a fail without anything on the ground changing.
The variety of different exposure standards, and the different sampling methods for inhalable and respirable dust, make dust a complex regulatory area.
Managing dust risk in your workplace
Dust risk identification
Work health and safety regulations require employers, in consultation with workers, to identify hazards, assess risks and implement practical controls to protect workers’ health and safety.
If monitoring shows that inhalable or respirable dust poses a risk to your workers, Airsafe can help you manage that risk.
We can also help you develop a dust exposure assessment strategy and implement regulatory requirements.
Controlling dust exposure
When advising you on how to control dust exposure, Airsafe will base our advice on the hierarchy of control, assessing the following options in order of priority:
- Elimination: eliminating activities that generate dust, for instance using wet instead of dry methods
- Substitution: using materials that are less likely to generate dust, if available
- Engineering controls such as physical barriers, ventilation systems or dust collection devices
- Administrative controls such as training or shift rotation
- Personal protective equipment such as masks or respirators.
We’ll advise you on a course of action that meets your legal obligations with the least possible financial and operational impact on your business.
Wood dust hazards and control
While asbestos and silica dust receive most of the publicity around dust hazards, wood is another common source of workplace dust. Dust can be generated either by machining operations like sawing, routing and turning, or by hand or machine sanding.
Health hazards from exposure to wood dust are similar to those from other types of dust, but there are particular concerns about cancers of the paranasal sinuses and nasal cavity in people with long-term exposure to wood dust.
From 1 December 2026 the softwood dust limit drops from 5 mg/m3 to 2 mg/m3. Hardwood stays at 1 mg/m3.
SafeWork NSW has released a guidance note on minimising health risks from exposure to wood dust. They note that there are several ways of managing the risk, including installation of a local exhaust ventilation (LEV) system. They also note the importance of monitoring dust levels.
If your workplace involves activities that generate wood dust, make sure you’re meeting your duty of care to your workers: contact Airsafe for an assessment and advice.
Case file: Sydney Metro West, Eastern Tunnelling Package
Over roughly twelve months, Airsafe ran inhalable dust monitoring for Mann Group across around nine CBD building demolitions on Pitt and Hunter Streets and the wider Metro program, alongside respirable silica, diesel particulate, lead air monitoring, occupational exposure assessments and noise. Two full-time Licensed Asbestos Assessors on the ground, an on-site lab, full integration with the demolition program. All occupational hygiene reports across the program were signed off by Philip Turner, Airsafe’s Certified Occupational Hygienist. It’s one of the biggest combined asbestos removal and occupational hygiene jobs ever undertaken in Sydney.
For a dust monitoring quote, get in touch with us today on 1300 888 338.
4.9 stars from over 640 Google reviews and counting, from builders, demolition contractors, manufacturers, and industrial clients across Australia.
“AIRSAFE has become our go-to company for all air monitoring needs. Working for a large paint company, we’ve found their service not only exceptional but also backed by valuable advice. They are consistently reliable, flexible, and a pleasure to work with. These qualities made it an easy decision to choose them as our preferred supplier.”– Nik Pappas, November 2025
“We recently appointed Airsafe to undertake air monitoring and reporting at a brownfield development site during the demolition stage. Their proactive, professional and cost and time-efficient approach and implementation were excellent.”– Carl O. Peterson, December 2021
“I use Airsafe on a regular basis for commercial construction. Liam Matthews and the Airsafe team always get the job done professionally, safely, and in a prompt manner as required. If only I could give more stars.”– Jordan Kissane, September 2021
FAQs
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Inhalable dust is dust that can be breathed in through the nose or mouth – particles up to about 100 micrometres in size. Most of it is filtered out by the nose and throat, but too much can still cause problems like a runny nose, watering eyes, coughing, rhinitis and bronchitis. Respirable dust is a subset of inhalable dust, made up of the smallest particles (about 10 micrometres or smaller) that get deep into the lungs. These are the particles that can cause longer-term damage like scarring, emphysema, chronic bronchitis and COPD. The two have different sampling methods and different exposure standards, which is why we measure them separately.
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If your work generates dust – through cutting, grinding, sanding, milling, crushing, conveying, bagging or cleaning up – then you have a duty under work health and safety regulations to make sure your workers aren’t exposed to dust at a level that risks their health. Air monitoring is how you find out whether you’re meeting that duty. It’s also how you check that the controls you’ve put in place, like ventilation or dust extraction, are actually working. If you’re not sure whether your activities need monitoring, just call us on 1300 888 338 and we’ll talk it through.
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Personal monitoring measures what an individual worker actually breathes in. The sampling equipment is worn by the worker, with the sampling head in their breathing zone, and the result is compared against the exposure standard for that dust. Static monitoring uses equipment fixed in one position to measure the dust released into the air by a process, or to check whether a control like local exhaust ventilation is doing its job. Most monitoring programs use a mix of both, depending on what you need to find out.
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Under work health and safety regulations, many airborne contaminants – including inhalable and respirable dust – are subject to workplace exposure standards. These set the maximum concentration a worker can be exposed to, usually averaged over an eight-hour working day. From 1 December 2026, the Workplace Exposure Standards (the WES list) are being replaced nationally by the Workplace Exposure Limits (the WEL list), and a number of dust limits are tightening. Even below the legal limit, exposure must be kept as low as reasonably practicable. Airsafe measures your dust levels against the current standards and tells you where you stand.
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No. Asbestos and crystalline silica are particularly hazardous and are handled as separate, specialised services with their own methods and standards. If your concern is asbestos, that’s covered by our asbestos air monitoring service; if it’s silica dust from stone, concrete or tiles, that’s our respirable crystalline silica monitoring service. General dust monitoring covers inhalable and respirable dust from other sources – wood, grain, metal, mineral and the like. If you’re not sure which one you need, call us on 1300 888 338 and we’ll point you in the right direction.
Contact us for dust monitoring and testing services today
Airsafe delivers safe, comprehensive dust monitoring and testing services across Sydney, NSW and Australia. To organise a dust monitoring assessment, get in touch with us today on 1300 888 338.
Last updated: August 2026
