Occupational hygiene services

Simtars to cease fee-for-service occupational hygiene programs from March 2027s

For many years, Simtars has delivered high-quality, fee-for-service occupational hygiene programs, supporting the health and safety of workers in Queensland’s resources industry. These services have played an important role in supporting worker health and safety, and we acknowledge the trust and collaboration of industry partners throughout this time.

In 2017, the Coal Workers Pneumoconiosis Select Committee released its report, Black Lung, White Lies – Inquiry into the Re-identification of Coal Workers’ Pneumoconiosis in Queensland. The report included a recommendation that Simtars cease offering occupational hygiene services on a fee-for-service basis. Proposing to redeploy this expertise to support research, profiling emerging health issues related to workers exposures and other activities aligned with the organisation’s functions instead.

In line with this recommendation and to better align with Resources Safety and Health’s (RSHQ) strategic focus on measurable impact, including mitigating risks, eliminating hazards and addressing systemic problems, Simtars will cease commercial hygiene services from March 2027.

The future direction for Simtars’ occupational hygiene services

Simtars is committed to repositioning its Occupational Hygiene team as a primary contributor to protecting workers from health-related hazards. Our future focus will centre on technical excellence and scientific leadership. The team will continue to support industry through:

• harm identification, prevention and control
• independent research into occupational exposures and risks
• targeted education and guidance to uplift industry capability.

This transition strengthens Simtars’ role as a trusted authority in occupational hygiene, supporting worker health through evidence-based science and regulatory insight. We will work with stakeholders throughout this transition and welcome feedback to understand how we can best support industry going forward.

For further information or to discuss how this may impact current or planned projects, please reach out to the team at Simtars.