Oosthuizen Matthew, Staples Kerry, Liebenberg Adelle, Padamsey Kiam, Cattani Marcus, McCarthy Andy, Oosthuizen Jacques
School of Medical and Health Sciences, Joondalup Campus, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA 6027, Australia.
Department of Health (Western Australia), Epidemiology Directorate, Perth, WA 6004, Australia.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2025 Aug 8;22(8):1238. doi: 10.3390/ijerph22081238.
The aim of this study was to analyse the Western Australian (WA) Safety Regulatory System (SRS) database to assess compliance of the WA mining sector regarding workers exposure to welding fumes and to identify trends over time. De-identified data analysed to assess the impact of reducing workplace exposure standards (WES) for general welding fumes on industry compliance. Historical trend analysis shows a shift from 100% compliance to 100% non-compliance, based on mean values and 95% confidence intervals, with exposure levels remaining consistent over time. These findings highlight the need for current, innovative engineering solutions, and raise questions about the validity of current sampling methods. Powered air-purifying respirators (PAPRs) integrated with welding helmets can reduce exposures by up to 99.96%, making their adoption as industry best practice critical, yet current sampling methodologies measure welding fume levels outside PAPRs, thus potentially misclassifying workers who are adequately protected as non-compliant. The sampling method is also influenced by other particulate matter present in the workplace that may be due to grinding or other dust generating activities in the vicinity of the welder. Lower WES values necessitate a review of exposure assessment and reporting methods to accurately reflect worker exposures.
本研究的目的是分析西澳大利亚州（WA）安全监管系统（SRS）数据库，以评估WA采矿业在工人接触焊接烟尘方面的合规情况，并确定随时间的变化趋势。对经过去识别处理的数据进行分析，以评估降低一般焊接烟尘的工作场所接触标准（WES）对行业合规性的影响。历史趋势分析表明，基于平均值和95%置信区间，出现了从100%合规到100%不合规的转变，且接触水平随时间保持一致。这些发现凸显了当前创新工程解决方案的必要性，并对当前采样方法的有效性提出了质疑。与焊接头盔集成的动力空气净化呼吸器（PAPR）可将接触量降低多达99.96%，因此将其采用为行业最佳实践至关重要，但当前的采样方法是在PAPR外部测量焊接烟尘水平，从而可能将得到充分保护的工人误分类为不合规。采样方法还受到工作场所中存在的其他颗粒物的影响，这些颗粒物可能源于焊工附近的打磨或其他产生粉尘的活动。更低的WES值需要对接触评估和报告方法进行审查，以准确反映工人的接触情况。
