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The Australian Institute of Occupational Hygienists (AIOH) welcomes the opportunity to contribute to Safe Work Australia’s consultation on the regulation of welding processes. The AIOH supports the objective of strengthening protection for welders and others in the workplace who continue to be exposed to welding hazards, particularly carcinogenic welding fume, ozone and ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
The Australian Institute of Occupational Hygienists (AIOH) welcomes the opportunity to contribute to Safe Work Australia’s consultation on the regulation of welding processes. The AIOH supports the objective of strengthening protection for welders and others in the workplace who continue to be exposed to welding hazards, particularly carcinogenic welding fume, ozone and ultraviolet (UV) radiation. In 2017 the International Agency for Research on Cancer reclassified welding fume from Group 2B (possibly carcinogenic to humans) to Group 1 (carcinogenic to humans), based on sufficient evidence that welding fume causes lung cancer, with a positive association also observed for kidney cancer. Despite this, exposures to welding and thermal cutting fume remain common in Australian workplaces. In our members’ experience, exposure to fume and ozone from welding processes most frequently exceeds workplace exposure standards (WES). Of the two approaches presented, the AIOH supports new welding-specific regulations (Approach 1), but not as an either/or choice: the most effective response is a holistic uplift across the model WHS Regulations, the model Code of Practice and the relevant Australian Standards. A modern, practical Code, supported by guidance material, is as important as the regulations themselves.
