The video was filmed after work on a job site in New South Wales, Australia, the company owner told 7News.
Drilling concrete can cause silica dust, a fine, invisible particle, to become airborne.
Breathing in the dust can cause silicosis, a progressive and deadly lung disease and is known to cause cancer, according to WorkSafe New Zealand.
The video, posted to TikTok by Genesis Carpentry, went viral, getting more than 91,000 likes and 890 comments.
Many comments were negative, saying the prank was dangerous and irresponsible.
Some of the critical comments the video received.
“A prank is us sending an apprentice to Bunnings looking for a tool that doesn’t exist for a few minutes. Bit of fun, no one is hurt, everyone has a good laugh, and they bank it so they can do it to the next one. A prank isn’t giving someone a disease,” one said.
“‘Why does nobody want to be our apprentice?’” asked another.
Speaking to 7News, the owner of the company, Michael Zaatini, defended the prank.
He said the video was planned and intended as a joke.
“We counted down from three, and Connor held his breath.”
Once the prank was finished, “he washed his face … and then we edited the video together and posted it.”
The backlash in the comments did not faze Zaatini and the workers, he said.
It even motivated the tradies to film another video.
The clip, titled “no one is safe”, followed the same formula, with someone using an air compressor to spray concrete dust into a worker’s face as they drill a hole.
Zaatini was surprised by how negative some of the comments were, with some being threatening, he said.
He told 7News the intent of the pranks was never sinister and that the company takes safety protocols seriously.
“We’re very strict, we’re always in masks.
“We always do wet cuts, we’re never cutting dry. So there’s never dust in the air. We’re never doing any of that.
Zaatini said he did not feel he needed to apologise because the prank was misunderstood.
The apprentice, Connor, told 7News he was fine and confirmed the video was planned.
The outlet reported workplace safety officials visited the work site on Tuesday.