Code of Practice — Abrasive Blasting

The full title is the Code of Practice: Abrasive Blasting, published by Safe Work Australia. The code becomes legally binding from 1 July 2026 under Section 26A of the WHS Act. The code applies to all abrasive blasting operations including dry blasting, wet blasting, vacuum blasting, and centrifugal blasting using any type of abrasive media. It covers media selection requirements with the prohibition on free silica-containing media, enclosure and containment design for fixed and field blasting operations, ventilation and dust collection systems, personal protective equipment including airline-fed respiratory protection for operators, health surveillance requirements for silica and other dust exposures, environmental controls to prevent dust migration beyond the worksite, and waste management for spent media and removed coatings.

The code applies to every PCBU who performs or manages abrasive blasting operations. Surface preparation contractors who blast steel structures, bridges, tanks, and pipelines for recoating are the primary audience. Shipyards and marine maintenance facilities performing hull blasting are covered. Metal fabrication businesses with in-house blasting facilities for pre-paint preparation must comply. Construction companies performing concrete surface preparation by blasting are captured. Heritage restoration contractors who use abrasive blasting on masonry and stone must follow the code. The code also applies to PCBUs who manage workplaces where blasting occurs, including shipyard operators, factory owners, and construction site principal contractors who have duties to protect other workers from blasting dust. Workers who operate blasting equipment and workers in adjacent areas must be protected under the code's requirements.

The code prohibits the use of abrasive blasting media containing more than one per cent free silica, which eliminates silica sand, river sand, and other quartz-based media. Approved alternatives include garnet, aluminium oxide, steel grit, steel shot, glass bead, and crusite. For fixed blasting operations, an enclosed blast room with dust collection and filtration is required. For field blasting, containment enclosures must be erected to prevent dust migration, with negative pressure maintained within the enclosure. Operators must wear airline-fed respiratory protection providing a protection factor adequate for the dust concentrations generated, which typically requires type 3 supplied-air equipment with a minimum protection factor of 200. Health surveillance must be provided for all blasting operators and workers regularly entering blasting enclosures, including baseline and periodic chest X-rays, lung function testing, and respiratory symptom questionnaires. Environmental monitoring must be conducted at the boundary of the blasting enclosure to verify that dust concentrations outside the containment do not exceed community air quality standards.

First, audit all blasting media used in the business to confirm that no media containing more than one per cent free silica is in use, and verify supplier certificates of analysis for all current media stocks. Second, review blast room and field enclosure designs against the code's requirements for containment integrity, negative pressure, dust collection efficiency, and ventilation rates. Third, audit RPE for all blasting operators, verifying that airline-fed systems are supplied with breathing quality air tested to AS/NZS 1715, that air supply lines are maintained and tested, and that all users have received fit-testing and training. Fourth, verify that health surveillance covers all blasting operators with baseline and periodic chest imaging and lung function testing, and that monitoring intervals comply with the code's requirements. Fifth, review environmental monitoring procedures at containment boundaries to ensure that blasting operations do not cause dust concentrations above community standards in adjacent areas, and implement additional containment or suppression where boundary monitoring indicates exceedances.

Abrasive blasting generates dust concentrations hundreds of times above workplace exposure limits, making respiratory protection and containment critical. After 1 July 2026, failure to follow the code constitutes a standalone offence. The use of prohibited silica-containing media is a specific offence under the WHS Regulation carrying substantial penalties. Category 2 penalties of up to $1,731,500 for a body corporate apply where workers or the public are exposed to blasting dust through inadequate containment. Prohibition notices are issued for blasting operations without adequate containment or respiratory protection, immediately stopping all blasting work. Environmental protection agencies may pursue separate penalties for dust migration affecting neighbouring properties or the public. The combination of WHS penalties, environmental penalties, and civil claims from affected parties makes non-compliant blasting operations one of the highest-risk activities in Australian industry.