The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) is not proposing changes to the labels on phosphine products at this time. The decision follows a joint assessment with Safe Work Australia of whether label changes were needed to support the move to a reduced phosphine workplace exposure limit (WEL) under work health and safety (WHS) laws. Safe Work Australia published the outcome on 22 October 2026.
The reduced WEL will take the place of Safe Work Australia’s existing Workplace Exposure Standard for phosphine on 1 December 2026. WELs are health-based limits intended to protect workers from harmful airborne exposure. The phosphine WEL applies to concentrations in a worker’s breathing zone, and it is the measure against which worker exposure is assessed and managed. From the start date, persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBUs, usually employers) are required to meet the reduced limit and must take suitable steps to shield workers from phosphine exposure.
Not every jurisdiction will start on that date. Some states have told Safe Work Australia that their implementation of the new phosphine limit will come after December 2026.
At a glance
- Agencies: Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority and Safe Work Australia
- Change: Workplace Exposure Standard for phosphine replaced by a reduced Workplace Exposure Limit
- Start date: 1 December 2026, with some states delaying implementation
- Products: 33 APVMA approved products containing phosphine
- Outcome: No label changes proposed at this time
- Who must comply: PCBUs, usually employers
There are 33 APVMA approved products that contain phosphine, a group that includes products containing aluminium or magnesium phosphide. Their labels set out instructions for safe use and refer to a concentration of 0.3 ppm in the ventilation period that follows completion of the exposure period.
That 0.3 ppm figure is measured in the enclosure or work area and is the level used to determine when grain can be cleared after fumigation. The agencies said it serves a different purpose from the WEL, which applies to concentrations in a worker’s breathing zone.
The APVMA and Safe Work Australia said they “do not currently consider that changes to the instructions for use of phosphine products are necessary to enable users of those products to comply with their obligations under state or Commonwealth WHS laws.”
The APVMA said it would consider regulatory action proportionate to the risk if new information emerged suggesting label changes were needed. State implementation dates are available through state WHS regulator websites, and Safe Work Australia’s airborne contaminants hub has further information on exposure limits.
Source: Safe Work Australia, 22 October 2026
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