Engineering controls (WHS)
Engineering controls cut a hazard by physical means built into the work (guarding, ventilation, on-tool dust extraction), ranking above admin controls and PPE.
Ask Chalkline about this →Engineering controls are the level of the hierarchy of controls that reduces a hazard by physical means built into the work or the plant, rather than relying on how a worker behaves. The control does its job whether or not anyone remembers a procedure or wears the right gear.
On a building site the common engineering controls are:
- on-tool dust extraction and water suppression for respirable crystalline silica,
- local exhaust ventilation for fumes and dust,
- machine guarding on saws and benches,
- edge protection, guardrails and shoring for falls and trench collapse,
- RCDs on power.
In the ranking, engineering controls sit below elimination and substitution but above administrative controls (procedures, training, signage) and above PPE. That ordering is the whole point: an engineering control keeps working regardless of worker behaviour, while an administrative control or a respirator only works if the person does the right thing every time. PPE is the last line, not the first.
The practical rule for a builder is simple. When you cannot eliminate or substitute a hazard, reach for an engineering control before you write a procedure or hand out masks. For silica work this is effectively mandatory: on-tool water or extraction is the expected engineering control, and you cannot lean on respiratory protection in its place. Whatever control you land on, record it in the SWMS or silica risk control plan so there is evidence the hazard was controlled at the right level.
Also known as: Engineering control measures.
Category: WHS / Risk control.
Related
See also
References
- Hierarchy of controls (Chalkline) (verified 2026-06-01)
- Safe Work Australia: managing risks of hazardous chemicals and dusts (verified 2026-06-01)
Last updated: 2026-06-01. Verified: 2026-06-01. Quarterly review for currency.