2025 was the year of tightening work health and safety (WHS) requirements and more stringent environmental controls. Consequently, there was a shift towards implementing more proactive monitoring and hazard controls to manage on-site risks and mitigate enforceable compliance requirements. 

Coming off the back of National Safe Work Month in October, the construction industry has a renewed focus on risk control and managing worker exposure on-site. And with a raft of upcoming changes set to take effect throughout 2026, worker health and safety is set to remain a central focus for the construction industry.

Read on for an overview of the regulatory changes that took effect in 2025 and what to expect as we move into 2026.

Key 2025 regulatory changes

Silica dust regulations

2024 saw major tightening of respirable crystalline silica (RCS) controls across all industries, including construction, demolition, civil works, and tunnelling, with the silica regulation update and the introduction of Chapter 8A to the model WHS Regulations.

This continued into 2025 with Government establishing a new Silica Task Force focused on addressing silica-related health risks in tunnelling projects across the state.

On October 1, 2025, a new amendment to the NSW Work Health and Safety Regulation took effect. It introduces a mandatory Silica Worker Register for all businesses conducting high-risk processing of crystalline silica substances (CSS).

Other key trends included:

• Expanded requirements for RCS control plans, including wet cutting, ventilation engineering, and mandatory RPE fit-testing.
• A stronger focus on engineering controls to be implemented at all times
• Greater emphasis on real-time or frequent exposure monitoring on high-risk sites.
• New requirements around documentation and record keeping. 

While navigating the updated RCS regulations can be challenging, Control Hire’s team of in-house environmental consultants offer silica risk control plans and site monitoring systems that align with updated exposure standards.

Welding and toxic fume standards

In January 2024, Safe Work Australia lowered the workplace exposure standard (WES) for welding fumes from an 8-hour time-weighted average (TWA) of 5 mg/m³ down to 1 mg/m³. More recently, the WES for aluminium welding fumes was also reduced to 1 mg/m³ (8-hour TWA) to bring it in line with the standard for general welding fumes. 

The updates focused on:

• Updated standard changes apply to workers doing welding, as well as others who may be exposed to welding fumes.
• Welding fumes now include individual hazardous components, which must be accounted for under each specific WES.
• New requirements regarding air monitoring and assessments on exposure levels.

With a range of fume and ventilation control solutions on offer, Control Hire is well equipped to support compliance with updated fume standards.

Noise controls

As of July 2025, persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBUs) in Queensland are legally required to provide audiometric testing for workers exposed to hazardous noise when those workers are required to wear hearing protection because noise levels exceed the standard exposure thresholds.

Key shifts included:

• New audiometric testing obligations, including regular follow-up testing.

Control Hire provides comprehensive noise management plans alongside a range of specialised noise control solutions to help you meet updated noise monitoring requirements.

What’s coming in 2026

Looking forward to 2026 and beyond, we expect the regulatory and enforcement environment for construction WHS and environmental compliance to continue to intensify. Several initiatives, law changes, and evolving risks point to where regulators and the industry will focus. Below are the major developments to watch, and prepare for.

New Workplace Exposure Limits (WEL) take effect

2025 was a year of transition as Australia moved the existing national framework for airborne contaminants from the Workplace Exposure Standards (WES) for Airborne Contaminants (WES) to the new Workplace Exposure Limits (WEL) for Airborne Contaminants. First approved by WHS ministers in April 2024, businesses have until 1 December 2026 to make the switch before the updated WEL list comes into force.

Beyond a simple rebranding, the WEL update includes changes to the permissible exposure limits, with some substances having tighter limits, some being newly listed, and others reclassified.

As we approach this transition date from WES to WEL, it’s essential that you thoroughly review all exposure control plans (silica, dust, diesel, fumes, chemical mists) to determine whether current controls and monitoring approaches will meet the new WEL thresholds. Our expert team of environmental consultants and engineers are on hand to help you navigate these changes to ensure you meet your new obligations. 

Continued enforcement focus on airborne hazards 

2025 saw an increased focus on exposure to airborne contaminants, including respirable crystalline silica. While these airborne hazards will continue to be a top priority moving into 2026, the shifting WEL regime is likely to bring more chemicals and airborne hazards under tighter scrutiny, including substances that were once less heavily monitored. Class 1 noise monitor hire is now the expected standard for projects subject to updated EPA and WHS noise conditions.

With this in mind, dust, fume, and airborne contaminant management must remain a strategic priority. Updated exposure limits will require robust engineering controls, ventilation validation, periodic monitoring, and health-monitoring plans where relevant. Real-time vibration monitoring hire ensures continuous compliance tracking for demolition, piling and excavation works.

Rising importance of monitoring, reporting, and digital compliance tools

With the introduction of the new WELs system, along with expanded airborne contaminant regulation and stricter enforcement, there’s likely to be a push for real-time monitoring, traceable data, and transparent reporting systems. This reduces reliance on ‘snapshot’ or manual sampling, helping to improve result validity and reliability. As such, we anticipate regulatory bodies will encourage, if not demand, more proactive monitoring from PCBUs.

At the same time, the construction industry is beginning to adopt technology-driven solutions, from continuous dust and fume monitors to cloud-based environmental dashboards, automatically generated exposure reports, and digital WHS documentation. As regulators require more data, these tools are set to become more valuable in ensuring compliance. 

Look for early adopters of real-time environmental monitoring, dashboards, and digital control-plan systems as the standard in 2026. Organisations that invest now can stay ahead of updated regulations and tender requirements.

How Control Hire is supporting construction compliance in 2026 and beyond

As 2026 introduces tighter exposure limits, enhanced monitoring expectations, and stronger enforcement around airborne hazards and environmental impacts, construction and infrastructure teams will need compliant, traceable, and audit-ready systems. At Control Hire, we’re positioned to support contractors, engineers, WHS managers, and environmental consultants through every stage of this shift with:

• Certified Risk Control Plans: Control Hire provides a suite of compliant WHS control plans covering the full spectrum of high-risk airborne and environmental hazards from silica and respirable dust to noise and vibration management plans. 
• Real-time environmental monitoring systems: Offering live dashboards, automatic exceedance alerts, and logged datasets, our real-time environmental monitoring systems cover a range of workplace hazards, including silica, noise and vibration, fumes, gas, and airflow.
• Audit-ready documentation and reporting dashboards: Our range of reports and data packs makes it simple for project teams to respond to client audits and regulator site visits with clear, time-stamped, and verifiable data.
• End-to-end system installation, maintenance, and support: We don’t just supply premium equipment for hire; we also provide end-to-end system installation, maintenance, and support. We ensure every system remains compliant and operational throughout the project lifecycle, so you can focus on getting the job done.

Prepare for construction compliance in 2026 with confidence. Get in touch with the team at Control Hire to request a compliance review or updated control plan from one of our environmental scientists or certified engineers.