Awareness Campaign
Meet the Lungsquatters.
Crystalline silica is one of the most common — and least visible — hazards on construction sites. This campaign gives it a face you can’t ignore.
Construction Safety Nova Scotia has launched a provincewide awareness campaign to help workers and employers understand the dangers of crystalline silica — and take action to prevent exposure on the job.
The big idea
An invisible hazard, made impossible to ignore.
Silica is found in concrete, stone, brick, sand, and tile. Cutting, drilling, crushing, or grinding releases fine dust that’s often too small to see — and breathing it can cause severe, irreversible lung disease.
The Lungsquatters personifies respirable crystalline silica as “squatters” that move into a worker’s lungs and never leave — turning an invisible hazard into something memorable and relatable.
“Silica is one of the most common — and least visible — hazards on construction sites. The harm it causes is permanent, but the good news is that silica-related illnesses are entirely preventable.”
MJ MacDonald · CEO, Construction Safety Nova Scotia
For employers
- Step-by-step guidance to identify silica sources and implement controls
- Downloadable templates, toolbox talks, and posters
- Help selecting and using proper personal protective equipment (PPE)
- Resources tailored to Nova Scotia’s laws and regulations
For workers
- Practical ways to protect yourself and others from silica dust
- A PPE checklist and guidance on your right to refuse unsafe work
- Plain-language explanation of workplace rights and responsibilities
- A short quiz to reinforce silica safety knowledge
Make the invisible visible on your site.
Explore tools, toolbox talks, and the full campaign at lungsquatters.ca.
Visit lungsquatters.ca →This campaign is funded in part through the Province of Nova Scotia’s Occupational Health & Safety Education Trust Fund.