Welding Fumes

Welding Fumes Assessment and Exposure Monitoring

Welding activities generate complex airborne contaminants that pose a recognised risk to worker health if not properly controlled. Welding fumes contain a mixture of fine particulate matter and gases that can penetrate deep into the lungs when inhaled. Under Australian work health and safety legislation, PCBUs are required to identify, assess and control exposure to welding fumes to protect workers and others in the workplace.

Audiometrics and Medical Personnel provide specialist welding fumes assessment and occupational hygiene services across Victoria and New South Wales. Our assessments are designed to support compliance, protect worker health and provide defensible evidence for regulators and auditors.

What Are Welding Fumes Made of?

Welding fumes are formed when metals are heated above their boiling point and condense into fine airborne particles. The composition of welding fumes varies depending on the welding process, base material, consumables and surface coatings.

Common components include:

Metal oxides such as iron oxide, manganese oxide, aluminium oxide and zinc oxide
Chromium and nickel compounds when welding stainless steel
Gases such as ozone, nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide
Flux breakdown products and shielding gas by-products

Safe Work Australia identifies welding fumes as hazardous airborne contaminants due to their ability to cause both acute and chronic health effects. The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies welding fumes as carcinogenic to humans, reinforcing the need for robust exposure management.

Common welding processes and typical fumes

Different welding methods generate different fume profiles and risk levels.

MIG (GMAW) welding : Often high fume generation, especially on mild and stainless steels, with manganese and possible chromium and nickel in the plume.
TIG (GTAW) welding : Typically lower visible fume but can still generate ozone and metal fumes, particularly when welding stainless or aluminium.
Stick (MMAW) welding: High fume output with flux coated electrodes, commonly producing iron oxide, manganese and other metal oxides.
Flux cored arc welding : Can produce very dense fume clouds, often containing significant metal oxides and flux decomposition products.

Understanding the mix produced by each process is the starting point for a robust welding fumes risk assessment.

Compliance, risk and exposure standards

Safe Work Australia has reduced the workplace exposure standard for welding fumes (not otherwise classified) from 5 mg/m³ to 1 mg/m³ as an eight hour time weighted average. WorkSafe Victoria and other state regulators now expect PCBUs to review and upgrade controls to meet this tighter limit. Employers must also ensure exposure to individual fume components such as chromium VI, manganese and ozone does not exceed their specific workplace exposure standards.

Failing to control hazardous airborne contaminants from welding is a breach of WHS/OHS law and can result in enforcement action, workers’ compensation claims and long term health impacts for welders.

Relevant government guidelines and requirements:

S. No.	Guideline / Requirement	Key Focus	Jurisdiction / Source
1	Workplace exposure standard for welding fumes (not otherwise classified) – 1 mg/m³ (8 hour TWA)	Sets the maximum average concentration of total welding fume in a worker’s breathing zone over a standard shift.	Safe Work Australia : Workplace Exposure Standards for Airborne Contaminants
2	Exposure standards for individual metals and gases in welding fumes (for example chromium VI, manganese, ozone, nitrogen dioxide)	Defines specific limits for hazardous constituents within welding fume and gases that must not be exceeded.	Safe Work Australia : Workplace Exposure Standards for Airborne Contaminants
3	Duties of PCBUs to manage risks from welding fumes	Requires identification of welding hazards, risk assessment, implementation of controls and safe systems of work.	Model WHS laws; OHS Act and Regulations in Victoria; WHS Acts in NSW and other states
4	Use of the hierarchy of control for welding processes	Emphasises elimination, substitution and engineering controls before administrative controls and PPE.	Model Code of Practice: Welding processes
5	Atmospheric (air) monitoring where uncertainty or potential health risk exists	Requires PCBUs to carry out air monitoring for airborne contaminants, including welding fumes, to verify control effectiveness.	WHS/OHS regulations and guidance on airborne contaminants
6	Health monitoring for workers exposed to specific welding fume constituents	Obliges PCBUs to provide health monitoring where workers are exposed to substances such as hexavalent chromium, cadmium or inorganic lead in welding fume.	Safe Work Australia – Health monitoring guidance https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/topic/health-monitoring
7	WorkSafe Victoria – Controlling exposure to welding fumes	Provides Victorian expectations for ventilation, local exhaust, respiratory protection and exposure control for welders.	WorkSafe Victoria : Controlling exposure to welding fumes
8	SafeWork NSW guidance on welding fumes and hot work	Outlines practical control measures, confined space considerations and WHS duties for PCBUs in NSW.	SafeWork NSW : Welding and allied processes

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Our welding fumes assessment Services:

Audiometrics & Medical Personnel offers a complete suite of welding fumes occupational hygiene services, including:

Personal welding fume exposure monitoring using sampling heads in the welder’s breathing zone.
Static and task based welding fumes testing in welding bays, booths and workshops.
Real time gas monitoring for ozone, nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide around welding activities.
Identification and evaluation of local exhaust ventilation and welding fume extraction systems.
Welding fumes compliance testing against the 1 mg/m³ WES and specific metal and gas standards.
Development of welding fume mitigation plans and welding workshop air quality management strategies.

All samples are analysed by accredited laboratories, and every project is overseen by a certified occupational hygienist.

Short term and long term health effects:

Metal fume fever with flu like symptoms.
Eye, nose and throat irritation.
Headaches, nausea and breathing difficulty.
Chronic bronchitis and reduced lung function.
Asthma and other long term respiratory issues.
Increased lung cancer risk from chromium and nickel fumes.

Exposure pathways and risk scenarios:

Most welders are exposed through inhalation of fumes and gases in their breathing zone. Risk increases significantly in:

Confined spaces where fumes accumulate quickly and gases can displace oxygen.
Poorly ventilated welding bays and fabrication shops with no local exhaust ventilation.
Shared work areas where non welding staff work near fume plumes.

When welding fumes monitoring is required:

Atmospheric monitoring should be undertaken whenever there is uncertainty about fume levels or a risk to worker health. Typical triggers include:

New welding processes, consumables or materials such as high alloy steels.
Changes to production rates, work methods or workshop layout.
Worker complaints about odour, irritation, headaches or breathing issues.
Confined space welding or hot work jobs.
Regulatory audits, improvement notices or requests from health and safety representatives.

How welding fumes are measured?

Our occupational hygienists measure welding fumes using:

Personal air sampling pumps connected to filters in the welder’s breathing zone, analysed gravimetrically and chemically in accredited laboratories.
Real time monitors for welding gases such as ozone and nitrogen oxides, calibrated in line with Australian standards.
Task based sampling for specific welding runs, shifts or processes.

Results are presented as 8 hour time weighted averages, short term exposure values and peak levels, making it clear whether workplace exposure standards for welding fumes are being met.

What happens if exposure standards are exceeded?

If monitoring shows welding fumes or specific contaminants above the WES, the PCBU must act immediately to reduce exposure. Typical steps include:

Reviewing and modifying welding procedures, consumables and positions.
Upgrading local exhaust ventilation or installing on torch extraction.
Improving general ventilation and isolating high fume tasks.
Providing and fit testing suitable respiratory protection where required, such as PAPR or air fed helmets.
Implementing welder health surveillance, including lung function and respiratory symptom review, where indicated.

Audiometrics & Medical Personnel documents these actions in a welding fumes mitigation plan and verifies improvements through follow up monitoring.

FAQs

What is the current welding fumes exposure standard in Australia?
Safe Work Australia and state regulators have reduced the workplace exposure standard for welding fumes (not otherwise classified) to 1 mg/m³ as an eight hour time weighted average across all jurisdictions. Employers must also comply with individual exposure standards for metals and gases within the fumes.
Are welding fumes considered carcinogenic?
Yes. Welding fumes have been classified as carcinogenic to humans, with evidence linking exposure to lung cancer and possibly kidney cancer. This reinforces the need to keep exposure as low as reasonably practicable through effective engineering and administrative controls.
Is a fume extraction hood enough to control welding fumes?
Local exhaust ventilation is a key engineering control, but it must be correctly designed, positioned and maintained to be effective. In many workplaces, a combination of process changes, fume extraction, improved ventilation and respiratory protection is required to meet the 1 mg/m³ standard.
Do I need health monitoring for welders?
Health monitoring is recommended where welders are exposed to certain hazardous constituents such as hexavalent chromium, cadmium and inorganic lead, or where exposure may approach or exceed relevant standards. Appropriate programs commonly include respiratory health questionnaires and lung function testing.
How often should welding fumes monitoring be repeated?
Monitoring frequency depends on the level of risk, stability of processes and any reported symptoms. Reassessment is usually required when processes or consumables change, new welding bays are installed or if workers raise health concerns.
Why work with Audiometrics & Medical Personnel
Audiometrics & Medical Personnel combines certified occupational hygiene expertise with practical knowledge of welding operations across construction, manufacturing and heavy industry. Every welding fumes risk assessment includes clear explanations of results, straightforward control advice and documentation suitable for WHS inspections and internal OHS audits. This helps PCBUs meet their obligations, protect welder health and demonstrate compliance with Australian welding fumes regulations.

Ready to reduce welding fume risk and stay compliant?

Partner with Audiometrics & Medical Personnel for expert welding fumes assessment, personal exposure monitoring, and clear advice on ventilation, fume extraction and respiratory protection. Our certified team helps you identify hidden risks, meet Australian workplace exposure standards, and protect the long term respiratory health of your welders.

Call 03 9819 4355 or Email [email protected] to book a welding fumes assessment, request a tailored mitigation plan, or schedule a confidential discussion about your welding operations.

Welding Fumes

Welding Fumes Assessment and Exposure Monitoring

What Are Welding Fumes Made of?

Common welding processes and typical fumes

Compliance, risk and exposure standards

Relevant government guidelines and requirements:

Our Services

Welding Fumes

Please Send Your Enquiry Via Completing Below Form

Our welding fumes assessment Services:

Short term and long term health effects:

Exposure pathways and risk scenarios:

When welding fumes monitoring is required:

How welding fumes are measured?

What happens if exposure standards are exceeded?

FAQs

Ready to reduce welding fume risk and stay compliant?

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