Safe Work Australia (SWA) reminds employers that from 1 December 2026 employers and other duty holders must ensure that no person is exposed to an airborne contaminant at a level above the new Workplace exposure limits for airborne contaminants (WELs).
Whilst we wait for confirmation from the Minister and WorkSafe as to whether these new limits will be adopted in Victoria, certain large employers who are self-insured under the Comcare scheme and are also covered by the WHS Act will be expected to comply in respect to their Victorian workplaces – this includes Australia Post, Cleanaway, CSL, John Holland, Linfox, Pacific National, Telstra and Thales amongst others.
SWA urges employers to start preparing for the changes now.
In 2019 SafeWork Australia completed a review of the workplace exposure standards (WES review) to ensure that those standards are based on current evidence and to provide the best possible protection for workers and others in the workplace. The review was informed by major scientific reviews and stakeholder submissions. That WES review resulted in the WEL list. Ministers approved the WELs document in early 2024, which includes amended exposure thresholds for more than 200 chemicals, adding dozens of substances to the list, and they agreed to a harmonised transition to adopt the WEL list on 1 December 2026 as a replacement for the WES list.
The changes include 177 substances that have their exposure limits reduced, 31 substances with limits for the first time, 40 substances with limits increased and 30 substances with limits removed (mostly to be categorised as no threshold carcinogens).
Employers are reminded that WELs are hard limits. There is no such thing as a safe level of exposure, and it does not change the statutory obligation on employers to reduce risk by limiting exposure so far as is reasonably practicable.
Duty holders are encouraged to consult Safe Work Australia’s airborne contaminants hub, which features numerous resources including a table comparing the outgoing Workplace exposure standards for airborne contaminants to the WELs, to help them plan and implement the changes safely in their workplaces.
Included on SWA’s hub is information for workers, employers, and occupational hygienists or technical experts. Resources available include stakeholder packs, factsheets, animations, infographics and general resources.
The SWA WELs hub provides “key messages and ready-to-use resources to help promote awareness and support workplaces to prepare for the new limits," SWA said.
Employers must monitor conditions in their workplace to ensure a safe workplace and compliance with WELs. OHS Reps’ VTHC Air Monitoring Checklist for Health & Safety Representatives assists HSRs through every step of the air monitoring process: before the monitoring, assessing whether monitoring was conducted properly, checking that the report meets the standard required for compliance purposes, ensuring results are communicated to all affected workers, and making sure recommendations are acted on with clear timelines and accountability.
If you want to learn more about air monitoring and the newest exposure standards, you can watch the recording of the webinar with Kate Cole, leading occupational hygienist specialising in workplace airborne hazards: Breathing easy: air monitoring & the new Workplace Exposure Limits.