With a greater focus on the risks posed by airborne contaminants, Safe Work Australia is following up the release of its guidance information in July 2026 with a period of consultation on clarification and improvements to health and air-monitoring requirements for hazardous chemicals. 

With the transition to new workplace exposure limits from 1 December 2026, Safe Work Australia published Guidance material on 30 July 2026 to help businesses to understand the new requirements and the steps that they can put in place prior to that commencement date.

Following feedback about the need for greater clarity and improvement more broadly with air monitoring, Safe Work Australia has initiated a period of consultation to address concerns that some requirements under the model Work Health and Safety Regulations are unclear, create confusion or can be difficult to apply in practice.

In a media release, SafeWork has said that consultation is seeking views on:

1. When should health monitoring be provided?
2. Which hazardous chemicals require health monitoring? 
3. How should health-monitoring thresholds be applied?
4. How should biological exposure standards be applied?
5. How should health monitoring reports be provided to regulators?
6. What information should be provided to registered medical practitioners?
7. When is air monitoring required and how does it link to broader hazardous chemical risk management?

Safe Work Australia is accepting submissions at its Consultation Hub where a consultation paper is available. You can respond to questions either through an online survey or by uploading a written submission. Consultation is open until Monday 21 September 2026. 

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