Australia delays new phosphine workplace exposure limits

Australian mainland states have agreed to delay the implementation of revised workplace exposure limits for phosphine, a chemical critical for grain protection. The Queensland government recently announced its decision to pause the regulations, bringing all mainland states in alignment.

The new limits, proposed by Safe Work Australia, sought to reduce the time-weighted average exposure limit from 0.3 parts per million (ppm) to 0.05 ppm, with a 0.15 ppm peak limit. Industry representatives, including GrainGrowers, argued that the original December 1 deadline would have occurred during the peak harvest period and that the new limits could render the product practically unusable in grain storage networks.

As part of the deferral, Queensland, Victoria, and Western Australia have committed to three-year delays, while South Australia and New South Wales have implemented 18-month delays. The pause is intended to allow the supply chain time to develop practical compliance solutions and explore alternative grain protectant products.