Dust exposure in open pit mines is a significant threat to the health of mine workers. Particularly, the concerns are around respirable crystalline silica dust, which can be inhaled into the lungs and cause serious health issues. Miners who are exposed to high concentrations of PM2.5 dust for an extended period of time run the risk of acquiring respiratory conditions like silicosis and lung damage. Drilling is the first production-related operation in open pit mines, and it is considered one of the major sources of respirable dust in mines. This study investigates the application of surfactants in reducing PM2.5 dust resulting from drilling operations in open pit mines. Experiments are conducted on laboratory prepared sandstone blocks to compare the dust reduction rates of the surfactant to those of dry drilling and water-based wet drilling. Rotation rate, feed rate and the surfactant/water flow rate are the drilling variables altered in order to investigate the performance of the surf