Ministers agree to lower welding fume exposure limit
04 Apr 2024•BlueSafe Team•Source: Safe Work Australia
Work Health and Safety Ministers have agreed to reduce the workplace exposure standard for welding fumes from 5 mg/m³ to 1 mg/m³ over an eight-hour time-weighted average. The change becomes mandatory when implemented in Commonwealth, state and territory WHS/OHS laws.
The agreement calls for an immediate reduction in the workplace exposure standard (WES) for welding fumes not otherwise classified. The revised WES list is available from Safe Work Australia.
Welding is used across industries including construction and manufacturing. Exposure to welding fumes can cause occupational lung diseases, including lung cancer.
Under the model WHS laws, persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBUs), such as employers, must eliminate or minimise risks to workers’ health and safety so far as is reasonably practicable. This duty includes risks from chemical exposure.
PCBUs must also ensure workers are not exposed to airborne contaminants at concentrations above the limits in the Workplace exposure standards for airborne contaminants.
Welding fumes contain a complex mixture of hazardous chemicals, some of which have individual exposure standards. PCBUs must keep exposure below both the total welding fume limit and the respective limits for individual components.
The model Code of Practice: welding processes provides guidance on managing welding risks, including fume exposure. Safe Work Australia’s welding fumes page also has further information.
Safe Work Australia directs businesses to their work health and safety regulator for information about implementation in their jurisdiction. Updates on workplace exposure standards are also available through its chemical exposure standards mailing list.
How Blue Safe can help: Our free WHS self-check can help you review your approach to workplace health and safety and identify areas for closer attention, including chemical exposure risks. Take the free WHS self-check