Victoria has confirmed transition arrangements for 15 substances and substance groups. Most workplace exposure limits still apply from 1 December 2026. The comparisons below show the published national WELs and Victoria's 2026 to 2029 arrangements, including separate diesel provisions. Existing duties to control exposure continue.
The important distinction is that Victoria has not postponed the entire Workplace Exposure Limit (WEL) framework. Most WELs will apply from 1 December 2026, while specific arrangements apply to 15 substances and substance groups. Employers still need to prepare for December and continue controlling exposure risks. WorkSafe Victoria's confirmed arrangements.
What applies in Victoria from 1 December 2026?
625 numeric-limit entries counted in the national WEL list
609 limit entries
Outside Victoria's transition arrangements
16 limit entries affected
Wholly or partly, across 15 substance groups
Not a blanket delay. Transition arrangements generally run to 30 November 2029. Diesel's interim limit still starts on 1 December 2026, and the underground-mining exception continues beyond 2029. Existing exposure-control duties continue.
Counted from Appendix A of Safe Work Australia's November 2025 WEL list. Entries are not unique chemicals: separate forms or fractions count separately, while shared multi-name entries count once. One nickel entry is partly affected. The count includes changed and unchanged limits. The bar represents entry counts, not exposure risk.
The Occupational Health and Safety Amendment (Workplace Exposure Limits) Regulations 2026 were made on 20 October 2026 and commence on 1 December 2026. They update Victoria's regulations to refer to WELs and establish Victorian limits for specified substances. Read the authorised regulations.
WorkSafe's published guidance confirms a transition period through 30 November 2029 for 15 substances, with separate diesel provisions. This gives affected workplaces more time to prepare for certain limits, not permission to leave exposure risks unmanaged.
Compare national and Victorian limits by contaminant
Select a contaminant to compare the published national WEL with Victoria's confirmed transition arrangements. The values below keep the substance form, particle fraction, units and exposure period together.
National values are not a substitute for checking local law. The national column shows Safe Work Australia's published WELs from 1 December 2026. It does not confirm that every state or territory has implemented those values. Check the requirements that apply at each workplace.
About the 2029 dates: The Victorian values shown from 1 December 2029 follow WorkSafe Victoria's current published guidance. The 2026 amending regulations establish the changes commencing on 1 December 2026; they do not themselves set out a 2029 sunset for Schedule 8A. Check current Victorian requirements before relying on future dates.
Confirmed Victorian arrangements for 15 contaminants: expand a row to compare limits
Contaminant and exposure-limit comparison
Victorian timing
Bitumen fumes
Published national WEL from 1 December 2026
8-hour TWA: 0.5 mg/m³ (inhalable).
No separate STEL or peak limit listed.
Victoria: 1 December 2026 to 30 November 2029
8-hour TWA: 5 mg/m³.
No separate STEL or peak limit listed.
Victoria from 1 December 2029, as stated in current WorkSafe guidance
8-hour TWA: 0.5 mg/m³ (inhalable).
No separate STEL or peak limit listed.
Measurement notes and important distinctions
The national WEL uses an inhalable basis. Schedule 8A lists the Victorian number without expressly naming a particle fraction; confirm the sampling basis when comparing results.
No substance-specific prescribed exposure limit for flour (cereal) dust during this transition.
Existing duties to eliminate or reduce exposure risks continue.
Victoria from 1 December 2029, as stated in current WorkSafe guidance
8-hour TWA: 0.5 mg/m³ (inhalable).
No separate STEL or peak limit listed.
Measurement notes and important distinctions
The Victorian exception is for flour (cereal) dust. Do not substitute the grain-dust limit or treat the absence of a numeric limit as permission for uncontrolled exposure.
Nickel metal, powder and sulfide-roasting fume/dust (as Ni)
Published national WEL from 1 December 2026
Nickel metal and insoluble compounds (as Ni): 8-hour TWA 0.1 mg/m³ (inhalable).
No separate STEL or peak limit listed.
Victoria: 1 December 2026 to 30 November 2029
Nickel metal: 8-hour TWA 1 mg/m³.
Nickel powder: 8-hour TWA 1 mg/m³.
Nickel sulfide roasting (fume and dust): 8-hour TWA 1 mg/m³.
No separate STEL or peak limit listed.
Victoria from 1 December 2029, as stated in current WorkSafe guidance
Nickel metal and insoluble compounds (as Ni): 8-hour TWA 0.1 mg/m³ (inhalable).
No separate STEL or peak limit listed.
Measurement notes and important distinctions
The Victorian transition names these three forms; do not extend the 1 mg/m³ value to every nickel compound.
Other nickel entries, including soluble compounds and nickel carbonyl, must be checked separately. Soluble compounds have a national TWA of 0.1 mg/m³ and are not part of this three-form exception.
DSEN (skin sensitisation) applies to the listed national metal/insoluble entry and all three named Victorian forms. CAS varies by compound; 7440-02-0 identifies nickel metal, not every form.
This national entry is for material containing no asbestos and less than 1% crystalline silica.
No separate STEL or peak limit listed.
Victoria: 1 December 2026 to 30 November 2029
Inhalable dust: 8-hour TWA 10 mg/m³.
Respirable dust: no substance-specific prescribed exposure limit during the transition. Existing risk-control duties continue.
No separate STEL or peak limit listed.
Victoria from 1 December 2029, as stated in current WorkSafe guidance
Respirable dust: 8-hour TWA 1 mg/m³.
This national entry is for material containing no asbestos and less than 1% crystalline silica.
No separate STEL or peak limit listed.
Measurement notes and important distinctions
The national and retained Victorian numbers use different particle fractions and are not directly interchangeable.
Schedule 8A states an inhalable-dust limit. The national respirable entry carries the no-asbestos / less-than-1%-crystalline-silica qualification. Check silica, asbestos and other constituents separately where relevant.
Victoria from 1 December 2029, as stated in current WorkSafe guidance
8-hour TWA: 2 mg/m³ (inhalable).
No separate STEL or peak limit listed.
Measurement notes and important distinctions
Only softwood is in this Victorian transition category. Do not apply its interim value to hardwood dust or mixed species without checking the applicable requirements.
DSEN, RSEN and Sk (skin sensitisation, respiratory sensitisation and skin absorption) apply to the national and Victorian transitional entries.
Until 1 December 2026, continue to comply with applicable current exposure standards.
TWA means an eight-hour time-weighted average. STEL means a 15-minute short-term exposure limit. A peak limit is a maximum that must not be exceeded at any time, assessed over the shortest practicable sampling period, not exceeding 15 minutes.
For particulate contaminants, the national WEL applies to the inhalable fraction unless a respirable basis is specified. Victorian Schedule 8A explicitly specifies inhalable manganese and Portland cement; it does not expressly name a particle fraction for bitumen, grain, nickel or softwood. Those Victorian numbers are reproduced without adding a fraction. Confirm the appropriate sampling basis when assessing exposure. Inhalable and respirable results are not interchangeable.
For gases and vapours, the published ppm figure is the exact reference; national mg/m³ figures are reproduced as published guides, not recalculated. Victorian Schedule 8A prescribes the gas limits in ppm, so this table does not invent mg/m³ conversions for that column.
No listed STEL, peak or substance-specific limit does not mean exposure is safe or unregulated. Employers must still eliminate risks so far as reasonably practicable, or otherwise reduce them so far as reasonably practicable, and comply with any applicable limits.
Advisory notations are not a complete hazard assessment. Check the substance, safety data sheet, mixtures, shift pattern and any relevant health-monitoring or mining requirements.
Values checked on 23 October 2026 against the linked Safe Work Australia WEL list, the Victorian amending regulations and WorkSafe Victoria guidance. This comparison covers the 15 transition groups, not the complete WEL list.
The exact substance form and particle fraction matter. The amendments set interim limits in Schedule 8A, including separate entries for manganese dust and compounds, manganese fume, and specified nickel forms. The Portland cement entry is for inhalable dust.
Flour (cereal) dust, respirable manganese and respirable Portland cement are treated separately in the substituted regulation 165. Do not read these exceptions as an exemption from all workplace safety duties. Check the specific substance, sampling basis and applicable limit rather than relying on the group name alone. See regulation 14 and Schedule 8A.
Diesel has a staged transition
Diesel particulate matter needs particular attention. From 1 December 2026, the Victorian limit is an 8-hour time-weighted average of 0.1 mg/m³, measured as respirable elemental carbon.
WorkSafe's published timeline is:
Work activity
From 1 December 2026
From 1 December 2029
Underground mining
0.1 mg/m³
0.1 mg/m³
All other industries
0.1 mg/m³
0.01 mg/m³
The further reduction in 2029 does not apply to underground mining in this timeline. A business operating diesel equipment should therefore check both its work activity and the relevant date. WorkSafe's diesel arrangements.
What employers should review now
Use the transition to plan the work, not postpone it.
Identify the substances used or generated at each workplace. Include process-generated dusts, fumes and diesel emissions, not just purchased chemicals.
Match each substance to the applicable Victorian limit and date. Keep inhalable and respirable fractions, exposure periods and units separate.
Check whether existing exposure information still represents current work. Consider changes to equipment, materials, tasks or controls since the last assessment.
Review controls and plan any improvements. Assign responsibility and allow time for engineering work, procurement and verification where needed.
For multi-state operations, check each jurisdiction. Victoria's transition arrangements should not be applied automatically to sites elsewhere.
Existing duties continue. Employers must eliminate exposure risks so far as reasonably practicable or, if elimination is not reasonably practicable, reduce them so far as reasonably practicable. Any applicable exposure standard or limit must also be met. A limit is not a target or a guarantee that every worker is protected. WorkSafe's employer guidance.
Does a changed limit mean new air monitoring is required
Not automatically. WorkSafe says a WEL change alone does not require air monitoring. Employers still need to understand current exposure and whether further controls are needed.
Monitoring may be required where there is reasonable uncertainty about whether an applicable standard is or may be exceeded, or where monitoring is needed to assess a health risk. An occupational hygienist can help determine an appropriate assessment approach. WorkSafe's monitoring guidance.
Get help with your next steps
JTA Health Safety and Noise can help you review workplace exposure risks, interpret monitoring results and identify practical control improvements through our Occupational Hygiene services.
WELs Resource Centre
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This article provides general information about the published Victorian arrangements. Requirements depend on the substance, work activity and jurisdiction. Seek advice specific to your workplace.
