Spirometry is an important health monitoring tool used to assess lung function and identify changes that may indicate respiratory conditions or the effects of workplace exposures. It measures how much air a person can inhale and exhale, and how quickly they can expel air from their lungs, providing valuable information about respiratory health.

Spirometry is commonly included in occupational health monitoring programs for workers who may be exposed to respiratory hazards such as respirable crystalline silica, coal dust, welding fumes, chemicals and other airborne contaminants. Servicing Dubbo, Wagga Wagga and New South Wales, RITE4SITE provides workplace spirometry testing — on-site, from our mobile unit, or at our facilities — to support your health monitoring program and help you manage respiratory health risks.

Spirometry is commonly indicated for workers exposed to respiratory hazards, including:

• Respirable crystalline silica (stonemasonry, construction, tunnelling, quarrying, foundry work, abrasive blasting)
• Coal dust and other mineral dusts
• Welding fumes
• Hazardous chemicals and other airborne contaminants

Testing is typically carried out as a baseline when a worker starts in a role with exposure, periodically to monitor for change over time, and on exit from an exposed role. Intervals are determined by the supervising registered medical practitioner based on the hazard and level of risk.

Under Work Health and Safety legislation, PCBUs have a duty to ensure the health and safety of workers, and must provide health monitoring where workers are exposed to certain hazardous substances and there is a significant risk to their health. Spirometry may form part of a health monitoring program where respiratory hazards are present — helping to establish baseline lung function, monitor changes over time, and support the early identification of potential work-related respiratory conditions.

How it fits together: under WHS law, health monitoring must be carried out or supervised by a registered medical practitioner (RMP) with experience in health monitoring, who reviews the results and prepares the health monitoring report. RITE4SITE provides the spirometry testing component that feeds into that program — delivered by trained personnel using calibrated equipment — so your workers' lung function is measured accurately and consistently, and your RMP has quality data to work from.

1. Pre-test check — we confirm the worker's details and readiness, and record the information (age, height, etc.) needed to interpret results.
2. Calibrated equipment — testing is performed on a spirometer calibrated and verified in line with recognised spirometry standards.
3. The test — the worker performs a series of controlled breathing manoeuvres, measuring values such as FEV1 (the air exhaled in the first second) and FVC (total air exhaled), repeated to achieve reliable, repeatable results.
4. Quality control — testing follows recognised best-practice procedures to ensure results are accurate, reliable and repeatable.
5. Reporting — results, including flow-volume traces, are documented and provided to support your health monitoring program and the reviewing RMP.

Australia does not currently have a dedicated Standards Australia standard for spirometry testing. Instead, recognised best-practice guidance is provided by the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand (TSANZ) — whose Standards for the Delivery of Spirometry follow the internationally recognised ATS/ERS 2019 spirometry standards — and the Australian and New Zealand Society of Respiratory Science (ANZSRS). These promote best-practice procedures, calibration and competency to ensure testing is accurate, reliable and repeatable. RITE4SITE delivers spirometry in line with this guidance.