Free Tool · 1 December 2026 Compliance Deadline · All Industries
Safe Work Australia replaces Workplace Exposure Standards with new Workplace Exposure Limits on 1 December 2026. Search any substance to see what's changed — and whether your controls are still compliant.
From 1 December 2026, Safe Work Australia is replacing the national list of Workplace Exposure Standards (WES) with a new list of Workplace Exposure Limits (WEL). This is the most significant update to Australian workplace airborne contaminant standards in decades.
The WEL list reflects updated toxicological evidence for hundreds of substances. Many limits have been tightened — some dramatically. New substances have been added. All PCBUs (persons conducting a business or undertaking) with workers exposed to airborne contaminants must comply with the new WEL values from 1 December 2026.
The two biggest changes for construction and manufacturing:
1. Welding fume TWA — reduced 10-fold, from 1 mg/m³ to 0.1 mg/m³. Every workplace where welding occurs needs to review controls immediately. Many existing ventilation setups will not be sufficient.
2. Respirable crystalline silica (RCS) TWA — halved from 0.05 to 0.025 mg/m³ (pending final confirmation). This affects any workplace where concrete, sandstone, brick, mortar, or engineered stone is cut, ground, drilled, or polished.
The official Safe Work Australia comparison document is a 200+ page PDF. This tool makes it searchable.
Review your risk register and chemical register — identify every substance workers are exposed to and check it against the new WEL. Use this tool to search substance by substance.
Commission air monitoring — if any substance has a tighter WEL, your current air monitoring data (based on the old WES) may no longer demonstrate compliance. You may need fresh monitoring under the new limits.
Upgrade controls — for welding fume and silica in particular, the new limits will require enhanced local exhaust ventilation (LEV), wet methods, vacuum-attachment tools, and upgraded respiratory protective equipment (RPE). P2 respirators where not already in use.
Update WHS documentation — SWMS, risk assessments, and safe work procedures referencing WES values should be updated to reference the new WEL by 1 December 2026.
Health surveillance — for substances like silica, lead, and cadmium with significantly tighter limits, review whether existing health surveillance programs remain adequate under the new standards.
The following substances have the most significant changes for construction, demolition, and civil work:
Respirable crystalline silica — 0.05 → 0.025 mg/m³ TWA. Concrete cutting, grinding, and drilling. Engineered stone fabrication. Sandstone, brick, and mortar work. The single most important change for the sector.
Welding fume — 1 → 0.1 mg/m³ TWA. All arc welding, MIG, MMA, TIG. LEV and P2 RPE mandatory in virtually all scenarios.
Hexavalent chromium (stainless steel welding) — 0.05 → 0.01 mg/m³ TWA. 5-fold reduction. Requires supplied air or higher-grade RPE for stainless steel welding.
Manganese — 0.20 → 0.10 mg/m³. Present in welding fume. Manganism (Parkinson-like disease) risk.
Lead — 0.10 → 0.05 mg/m³ TWA. Renovation and demolition work on pre-1970s buildings. Blood lead monitoring thresholds also under review.
Diesel exhaust particulate — new listing at 0.1 mg/m³ TWA. Any enclosed or semi-enclosed work area with diesel plant: excavators, generators, forklifts. IARC Group 1 carcinogen.
An occupational hygienist can conduct air monitoring, assess your controls against the new WEL, and produce a compliance report. This is particularly important for high-risk exposures: silica, welding fume, hexavalent chromium, and lead. Contact us to connect with an occupational hygiene specialist.
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