# Kate Cole (engineer)

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**Kate Cole** is an Australian [engineer](/source/Engineer) and [occupational hygienist](/source/Occupational_hygienist) whose work has helped protect the health and safety of construction workers, particularly by controlling respirable [crystalline silica](/source/Crystalline_silica) or "silica dust".

## Career

Cole has a Bachelor of Science (Biotechnology) and Master of Environmental Engineering Management from the [University of Technology](/source/University_of_Technology_Sydney), a Master of Science (Occupational Hygiene Practice) from the [University of Wollongong](/source/University_of_Wollongong). She is also a graduate of the [Australian Institute of Company Directors](/source/Australian_Institute_of_Company_Directors).[1]

Cole's work was heavily influenced by a [Winston Churchill Fellowship](/source/Winston_Churchill_Fellowship) in 2016, that investigated best practice approaches to preventing illness and disease in tunnel construction workers in [Norway](/source/Norway), [Switzerland](/source/Switzerland), [United Kingdom](/source/United_Kingdom) and the [USA](/source/United_States).[1][2]

Cole runs her own consultancy company [Cole Health](https://www.colehealth.com.au/).[3][4] She is also the 2022 President of the [Australian Institute of Occupational Hygienists](https://www.aioh.org.au/).[5]

She also advised on ventilation, respiratory protection, and health and safety during the COVID-19 pandemic.[6]

## Awards

Cole was named as one of the Top 100 Women of Influence by the *[Australian Financial Review](/source/Australian_Financial_Review)* in 2018[7] and is also one of [Science & Technology Australia](/source/Science_%26_Technology_Australia)'s Superstars of STEM for 2019–2020.[8]

In 2022, she was awarded the Medal of the [Order of Australia](/source/Order_of_Australia) for her work protecting the health of workers on large-scale infrastructure projects and was included on the COVID-19 Honour Roll for her work during the pandemic.[9]

She was awarded the Kernot Memorial Medal by the University of Melbourne for her contribution to health and safety advocacy in engineering in 2025.[10]

## Media

Cole speaks about preventing silicosis and other silica-related diseases on the ABC radio national.[11][12]

## References

1. ["Kate Cole - Churchill Trust"](https://www.churchilltrust.com.au/fellow/kate-cole-nsw-2016). *www.churchilltrust.com.au*. Retrieved 2022-04-07.

1. ["Kate Cole"](https://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/data-and-research/research-hub/research-hub/researchers-at-tfnsw/kate-cole). *Transport for NSW*. 2018-06-25. Retrieved 2024-07-13.

1. ["Cole Health"](https://www.colehealth.com.au/). *Cole Health*. Retrieved 2024-07-24.

1. ["About"](https://www.colehealth.com.au/about). *Cole Health*. Retrieved 2022-04-07.

1. ["Kate Cole"](https://scienceandtechnologyaustralia.org.au/profile/kate-cole/). *Science and Technology Australia*. Retrieved 2022-04-07.

1. ["Are hotels really the safest places to hold people in quarantine?"](https://www.abc.net.au/7.30/are-hotels-really-the-safest-places-to-hold-people/13071242), Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 2021-01-19, retrieved 2022-04-07

1. ["Kate Cole named one of the Australian Financial Review's 100 Women of Influence 2018"](https://www.ventia.com/news-and-insights/Kate-Cole-100-women-of-influence). *[Ventia](/source/Ventia)*. Retrieved 2022-04-07.

1. ["STEM Superstar prompts government probe on masks"](https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/scienceshow/stem-superstar-prompts-government-probe-on-masks/12606512). *ABC Radio National*. 2020-08-28. Retrieved 2022-04-07.

1. OAM, John Leddy; FIEAUST; CPEng; says, MEngSc (2022-01-26). ["Engineers recognised in the 2022 Australia Day Honours list"](https://createdigital.org.au/engineers-recognised-2022-australia-day-honours-list/). *Create*. Retrieved 2022-04-07.

1. Patterson, Jack (2025-10-16). ["Engineering health and safety advocate Kate Cole awarded Kernot Memorial Medal"](https://about.unimelb.edu.au/news-resources/awards-and-achievements/awards-and-prizes/engineering-health-and-safety-advocate-kate-cole-awarded-kernot-memorial-medal). *University of Melbourne*. Retrieved 2026-04-29.

1. ["Silicosis is NOT the new asbestosis"](https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/ockhamsrazor/silicosis-is-not-the-new-asbestosis/11297036). *ABC listen*. 2019-07-13. Retrieved 2024-07-24.

1. ["Media"](https://www.colehealth.com.au/media). *Cole Health*. Retrieved 2024-07-24.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Kate Cole (engineer)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kate_Cole_(engineer)) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kate_Cole_(engineer)?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.