GPA SEEKS GROWER VIEWS ABOUT UPCOMING SAFE WORK GRAIN DUST CHANGES
Grain Producers Australia (GPA) is surveying grain growers ahead of upcoming safe work exposure limits changes for grain dust, that will commence during harvest.
From 1 December 2026, the Workplace Exposure Limits (WEL) for grain dust is being significantly decreased from an 8-hour time weighted average (TWA) from 4.0 mg/m³ to 1.5 mg/m³.
Through an online survey, GPA is seeking to better understand the impact of this to growers amid concern that they will find it difficult to reasonably measure, monitor and manage the much lower requirement in their businesses.
Through its ongoing review and revision of workplace exposure standards, Safe Work Australia (SWA) released a list of new WELs that includes over 600 airborne contaminants, including a significant reduction in exposure limit for grain dust.
This is the same list that detailed the decrease in exposure threshold for phosphine that has been of great concern to the broader grain sector and has had significant coordinated advocacy led by Grain Trade Australia (GTA).
“Grain growers across Australia are committed to safe work practices in their businesses, but we’re concerned that growers will be unaware of changes that will commence during harvest,” said GPA Chair Matthew Madden.
GPA are concerned that growers may not be aware of this new grain dust requirement and are also worried they will not be able to reasonably comply with regulation associated with such a big decrease.
“GPA are mindful of the broader workplace safety issues related to different types of dust such as silica dust in mining and construction, but we are frustrated with the process taken to change these regulations.
"Firstly, grain growers want to have effective communication from regulators about such changes, and we also want reasonable standards that we can actually comply with.
“It is clear that safe work agencies don’t understand that grain growers don’t have industrial staff on the payroll who dedicated to highly technical regulated issues like this, yet they are being treated the same as corporate mining companies.
“We are calling for two things, growers to complete our online survey, and for safe work agencies to work with us to come up with a practical plan to help growers be as safe as they can be."
The GPA grain dust grower survey will be open until midnight (AEDT) 11 October 2026 and can be completed HERE.
ENDS
Further information:
GPA Chair Matthew Madden: 0457 731 210
GPA Executive Officer Rachael Oxborrow: 0416 705 193
Comments