The Safe Work Australia Workplace Exposure Standard (WES) for welding fume was lowered from 5mg/m3 to 1mg/m3 in January 2024. This legal upper limit applies to welders, other workers in proximity to the welders, and anyone else who may be exposed to welding fumes in the workplace.
However, based on the results of a recent survey of Australian welders*, only 38% of welders said they knew the WES for welding fume had changed – demonstrating the need for greater awareness of the change, and how this new limit impacts welding businesses and their employees.
View the full results of the survey here
Unaware of the new Welding Fume Workplace Exposure Standard? Learn all about it here
What’s more, even though this new law is actively being enforced by Health & Safety regulators across Australia, the survey also found that 79% of welders were unsure or didn’t believe their current welding fume controls were reducing exposure to below the new WES.
View the full results of the survey here
While this above figure is mostly founded on subjective feel rather than objective measurement, it is written into legislation that if a workplace is not certain on reasonable grounds whether the welding fume levels at the workplace exceed the new WES, employers must take action. To find out more on how to take action, as well as key insights on fume product controls in the workshop, we recommend reading the new Welding Fume & Product Control Industry Review.
Read the NEW Welding Fume & Product Control Industry Review here
If this review leaves you wanting to speak directly with a welding fume product control expert, or get a free assessment of your workplace, please contact AWS.
* This survey was conducted with 1,367 welders from 28th March 2024 to 30th June 2024.
