Safe Work Australia announced changes to Worker Exposure Limits for airborne contaminants, affective 1 December 2026. This article aims to provide the latest information available to manage phosphine use in compliance with the new limits. Always follow label directions and comply with Safe Work Australia requirements.
The changes from Safe Work Australia Worker Exposure Limits relating to phosphine are as follows:
- The Short Term Exposure Limit of 1ppm will be replace by a Peak Exposure Limit of 0.15ppm
- The Time Weighted Average (TWA) exposure limit of 0.3ppm will be replaced by a TWA limit of 0.05ppm.
Potential implications for growers and industry include:
- Alterations to phosphine application practices.
- Potential changes to PPE requirements.
- Alterations to venting practices following fumigation.
GRDC has invested in research to help growers and the grains industry prepare for the new Safe Work Australia Worker Exposure Limits for phosphine.
The work currently underway will examine current worker exposure, monitoring methods and product label requirements to support safe and practical compliance across the grain supply chain.
It will also include a proposed phosphine label update for submission to the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority and the development of a cost-effective on-farm testing procedure for measuring phosphine levels at grain outturn.
The project is expected to be completed by mid-2028 and is being guided by a steering committee representing 18 organisations, including researchers, bulk grain handlers, on-farm storage specialists and chemical suppliers.
Research results and links to resources that can be used to guide practices will be added to this post when they become available for public release.
Always follow label directions and adhere to Worker Exposure Limits set by State Authorities and Safe Work Australia
