Australian coal mines could be hit with stricter air quality limits. 

Coal miners in Australia may have to adhere to the same workplace air quality standards as other industries, with Safe Work Australia saying it will remove the long-standing exemption for the sector. 

Currently, Australian workplaces must maintain carbon dioxide levels below 5,000 parts per million (ppm), but coal mines are allowed levels up to 12,500 ppm.

After a two-year review, Safe Work Australia's board concluded that coal mines should no longer have this exemption and should comply with the standard set for other industries. 

The agency says; “Following independent expert review, the evaluation report for carbon dioxide did not recommend a separate workplace exposure standard for coal mines as there is no available health information to support this approach. Instead, a single workplace exposure standard... was recommended.”

Although Safe Work Australia does not have the authority to enforce the change on its own, it will make a formal recommendation to state and federal workplace safety ministers later this year. 

The implementation of the change will ultimately depend on the decisions of the relevant ministers in their respective jurisdictions.

The new rules are expected to pose significant challenges for underground mines operating in carbon-rich seams. However, mining company BHP, which operates open-cut coal mines, expressed support for adopting tighter standards.

This potential revision in air quality standards is the latest in a series of regulatory changes imposed on the coal sector in the past year. 

The industry has faced tighter limits on airborne silica, coal dust, and diesel particulate matter in recent years. Additionally, the sector is engaged in negotiations with the Albanese government regarding the application of emissions reduction policies to different types of coal mines.

Furthermore, miners are concerned about the potential costs associated with the Albanese government's industrial relations agenda and the impact of increased state government royalties on Queensland coal mines.