Welding processes are common across many industries, including construction and manufacturing.
Workers who are exposed to welding fumes can develop asthma, lung damage, bronchitis, lung cancer, pneumonia or emphysema.
There has now been an immediate reduction to the workplace exposure standard for welding fumes (not otherwise classified) from an 8-hour time weighted average of 5 mg/m3 to 1 mg/m3.
This change becomes mandatory once implemented in Tasmania’s Work Health and Safety Act 2012.
What employers must do
Employers must ensure workers are not exposed to any airborne contaminant above the concentration listed in the Workplace exposure standards for airborne contaminants (2024).
Because welding fumes are a complex mix of hazardous chemicals, employers must also ensure workers’ exposure to individual welding fume components is below the exposure standards for these, too.
Get resources
Use these Safe Work Australia resources to make sure you comply with the new workplace exposure standards: