Australian WHS Ministers Do Not Agree to Proposed Changes for 9 Chemicals 
In June 24, 2026, Safe Work Australia (SWA) announced that a majority of Commonwealth, state, and territory work health and safety ministers did not agree to the proposal to lower the workplace exposure limits for 9 chemicals, including benzene and respirable crystalline silica. While the ministers had previously decided to implement the new Workplace Exposure Limits (WEL) nationwide from December 1, 2026, the current limit values for these 9 chemicals will remain in place as an exception on and after December 1, 2026.
In Australia, the “Workplace Exposure Standards (WES)”, which set limits for airborne contaminants in the workplace, operate in connection with the model Work Health and Safety (WHS) Regulations. In 2024, ministers decided that the WES would transition to the new “Workplace Exposure Limits (WEL)” on December 1, 2026. However, ministers did not agree to the proposed changes to the limits for the 9 chemicals, making them an exception to this decision, requesting that SWA undertake further impact analysis. SWA subsequently published a Decision Regulation Impact Statement (Decision RIS) regarding these chemicals on June 24, 2026, but a majority of ministers opposed the proposed changes to the limits and requested further consideration from SWA.
The current WES limits and the proposed WEL limits for the nine chemicals are outlined below.
Comparison of Exposure Limits for the 9 Chemicals
| Chemical | CAS RN | Limit Type | WES (Current) | WEL (Proposed) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benzene | 71-43-2 | TWA*1 | 1 ppm (3.1 mg/m³) | 0.2 ppm (0.7 mg/m³) |
| Chlorine | 7782-50-5 | TWA | n/a | 0.1 ppm (0.29 mg/m³) |
| Peak limitation | 1 ppm (3.2 mg/m³) | 0.4 ppm (1.16 mg/m³) | ||
| Copper (fume, dust and mist) | 7440-50-8 | TWA | 0.2 mg/m³ (fume)
1 mg/m³ (dust and mist) |
0.01 mg/m³ (all forms) |
| Formaldehyde | 50-00-0 | TWA | 0.2 ppm (1.2 mg/m³) | 0.3 ppm (0.369 mg/m³) |
| STEL*2 | 2 ppm (2.5 mg/m³) | 0.6 ppm (0.738 mg/m³) | ||
| Hydrogen cyanide | 74-90-8 | TWA | n/a | 0.9 ppm (1 mg/m³) |
| STEL | n/a | 4.7 ppm (5 mg/m³) | ||
| Peak limitation | 10 ppm (11 mg/m³) | n/a | ||
| Hydrogen sulfide | 7783-06-4 | TWA | 10 ppm (14 mg/m³) | 1 ppm (1.4 mg/m³) |
| STEL | 15 ppm (21 mg/m³) | 5 ppm (7 mg/m³) | ||
| Nitrogen dioxide | 10102-44-0 | TWA | 3 ppm (5.6 mg/m³) | 0.2 ppm (0.38 mg/m³) |
| STEL | 5 ppm (9.4 mg/m³) | n/a | ||
| Respirable crystalline silica | n/a | TWA | 0.05 mg/m³ | 0.025 mg/m³ |
| Titanium dioxide | 13463-67-7 | TWA | 10 mg/m³ | 0.3 mg/m³ (respirable ultrafine or nanoscale particles)
2.4 mg/m³ (respirable fine or pigment grade particles) |
*1: 8-hour time-weighted average (TWA)
*2: Short-term exposure limit (STEL)
Apart from the exceptions noted above, the structural changes involved in the transition from the WES to the WEL include:
- Changing the name from “Workplace Exposure Standards” (WES) to “Workplace Exposure Limits” (WEL)
- Changing exposure limit values (excluding the 9 chemicals such as benzene), by lowering or raising them
- Changing the types of exposure lists
- Amalgamating or splitting groups of airborne contaminants
- Renaming the list of airborne contaminants
- Adding or removing chemicals from the list of airborne contaminants
Commonwealth, state, and territory jurisdictions will implement the WEL into their respective WHS laws by December 1, 2026. From December 1, 2026, persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBUs) must comply with the new limit values and chemical lists set out under the WEL and ensure that no person at the workplace is exposed to a substance or mixture above its workplace exposure limit.
Reference
- SWA News dated June 24, 2026
https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/media-centre/news/publication-decision-regulation-impact-statement-proposed-workplace-exposure-limits-9-chemicals - Decision Regulation Impact Statement: Proposed workplace exposure limits for 9 chemicals (Published by SWA, June 24, 2026)
https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/doc/decision-regulation-impact-statement-proposed-workplace-exposure-limits-9-chemicals - Workplace exposure limits for airborne contaminants (Published September 2025)
https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/sites/default/files/2025-11/workplace-exposure-limits-amended-november_2025.pdf - Changes between the WES and WEL (SWA)
https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/safety-topic/managing-health-and-safety/workplace-exposure-limits-airborne-contaminants/changes-between-wes-and-wel
