About
Kate Cole OAM
Kate Cole OAM is a multiple award-winning scientist, engineer, and Certified Occupational Hygienist (COH)® who has dedicated her career to the prevention of work-related disease. With over two decades of experience on some of Australia's most significant infrastructure and construction projects, she is one of the country's leading experts on airborne hazards, silica dust, and the prevention of occupational lung disease.
Her work on preventing silicosis has been shaped by a Winston Churchill Fellowship investigating best practice for tunnel construction workers, and by her ongoing PhD research at the University of Sydney examining silica dust exposure and disease burden in tunnelling. She is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Occupational Hygienists and a former President of the AIOH.
In 2022, Kate was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) and included on the COVID-19 Honour Roll for her services to workplace health and safety. In 2024 she received the UTS Alumni Award for Science, and in 2025 was awarded the Kernot Memorial Medal for distinguished engineering achievement by the University of Melbourne, one of Australia's most prestigious engineering honours.
Kate is recognised as a trusted expert across government, industry, and the research community. She sits on a wide range of national and state advisory bodies working on silica, asbestos, occupational lung disease, and worker health policy. Key roles include:
- Member, Asbestos and Silica Safety Eradication Council
- Chair, Silica Advisory Committee, Asbestos and Silica Safety Eradication Agency (ASSEA)
- Member, NSW Dust Diseases Board
She also serves as an independent expert witness in legal and regulatory proceedings, providing impartial, technically rigorous reports grounded in current scientific evidence.
About Cole Health
An independent occupational health and hygiene consultancy.
Cole Health specialises in identifying and controlling workplace health hazards, particularly airborne contaminants including respirable crystalline silica, across construction, tunnelling, demolition, and many other industries. We combine deep technical expertise with a practical, people-first approach, helping organisations make the invisible risks visible and take evidence-based steps to protect their people.
Get in touch.
To discuss how Cole Health can support your organisation, or to enquire about speaking engagements, contact Kate directly.