WHS Management for Stainless Steel Fabrication
Chromium VI drops 90 per cent and nickel drops 99 per cent under the incoming WELs — your ventilation must be ready.
Stainless steel fabrication involves cutting, welding, grinding, and polishing chromium-nickel alloys for food processing equipment, pharmaceutical vessels, architectural features, and marine applications. The critical WHS concern is hexavalent chromium generated during welding, plasma cutting, and grinding of stainless steel. Chromium VI is a confirmed human carcinogen that causes lung cancer, and the incoming WEL reduces the permissible exposure by 90 per cent. Nickel fume from stainless steel welding is also carcinogenic and faces a 99 per cent WEL reduction. These changes mean that stainless steel fabrication shops must implement the highest standard of fume extraction and respiratory protection in the industry.
Key Hazards
Regulatory Requirements
Hot work, work with carcinogenic substances
Related Sectors
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