Welding Fumes

Posted by ACL Team (Credit: AWS) on 21st Jul 2023

On June 1st 2023, Channel 9 News featured a report on welding fume. Some of the key takeaways were:

Welding fume is a group 1 carcinogen (just like Asbestos and Silica)
Tens of thousands of workers are still exposed.
The exposure standard for welding fume has not been updated since 1991 and based on new information there is a push for the exposure standard to be reduced to 1 mg/m3.
A health register has been established for welders seeking future compensation
should they get sick from welding fume exposure.
Exposure to welding fume is preventable.

What happens if the

Exposure Standard for

Welding Fume changes

to 1mg/m?

The AMWU is leading a huge push on behalf

of the welding industry for the exposure standard

for welding fume to be lowered from 5mg/m3 to

1mg/m3.

If successful, this would bring Australia’s exposure

standards more closely in-line with countries like

the Netherlands and Germany. However, what does

this mean for the welding industry? What can

businesses do to ensure they are prepared for this change?

How can employers ensure they are reducing exposure

to as low as reasonably practicable?

Find out insights from AWS on these questions in the White Paper below:

How can welders reduce exposure to welding fume?