Chlorine exposure limit remains unchanged

By Ben Makepeace

SPASA’s policy manager Ben Makepeace provides an update on new chlorine exposure limits.

In April 2026, SPASA advised members that Safe Work Australia (SWA) had proposed significantly lower airborne Workplace Exposure Limits (WELs) for nine chemicals, including chlorine, as part of Australia’s move away from Workplace Exposure Standards (WES).

At the time, this revision looked like it would have wide-reaching disruptive consequences on almost all sectors of the swimming pool industry. You can read the original article outlining SPASA’s concerns and letters to Ministers here: https://tinyurl.com/exposure-limits.

Following this communication, in mid-June SWA released all the information regarding Australia’s transitioning from the WES list for airborne contaminants to the WELs limits. The new WELs come into effect on December 1, 2026.

With this release, SWA revealed the new WELs airborne contaminants hub which brings together practical information and a range of resources to support employers, workers and technical audiences, including occupational hygienists and WHS professionals, to prepare for the transition.

Most relevant for the swimming pool industry, the new WELs list confirmed that there is no change to the WELs for chlorine. They remain an eight-hour time-weighted average, short term exposure limit of 1ppm (or 3mg per cubic metre).

More information:

• View the airborne contaminants hub and access the resources: https://tinyurl.com/airborne-contaminants-hub.

• Download the Changes to Workplace Exposure Limits – May 2025 Guide to see what is changing: https://tinyurl.com/exposure-limit-guide

• The new WELs list on the SafeWork website in different formats: https://tinyurl.com/new-WELs-list

• The WES/WEL transition stakeholder kit: https://tinyurl.com/transition-kit

IMAGE: The airborne contaminants hub