Every day, hundreds of thousands of workers are exposed to toxic chemicals – a significant contributor to work-related illness, injury, disease and death in Australia.

Safe Work Australia undertook a comprehensive review of exposure limits and recommended lower levels for our most toxic and highly used chemicals. These levels are designed to protect workers from adverse health effects, both acute and chronic.

Work Health and Safety Ministers agreed to the recommended levels for all but nine toxic chemicals. These chemicals include the known carcinogens benzene, formaldehyde, and respirable crystalline silica, as well as chlorine, copper, hydrogen cyanide, hydrogen sulphide, nitrogen dioxide, and titanium dioxide.

Workers in industries like healthcare, water treatment, mining, construction, manufacturing and energy deserve the highest level of protection. It is time to save lives.

We’re calling on Work Health and Safety Ministers to immediately adopt these more protective levels for the remaining chemicals.