Selected exposure-limit, industrial-hygiene and standards changes across the U.S., Canada and Australia, with source evidence and practical context.
Australia's revised workplace exposure limit list is scheduled for the December 1, 2026 transition, with current workplace exposure standards continuing through November 30. Legal application depends on the adopting jurisdiction and relevant sector legislation.
Canada's adopted SOR/2026-10 amendments introduce hazardous-substance and industrial-hygiene duties for federally regulated workplaces, generally from January 30, 2027. Changes include inventories, record retention and sampling duties, with different requirements across the affected sector regulations.
A U.S. OSHA amendment effective January 15, 2026 extended four Hazard Communication compliance dates by four months. The revised schedule runs from May 19, 2026 for substance suppliers to May 19, 2028 for employers using mixtures, with separate intervening deadlines.
California amended its general-industry and construction lead standards effective January 1, 2025, generally lowering the eight-hour permissible exposure limit to 10 µg/m³ and action level to 2 µg/m³. Some provisions have later dates, and construction abrasive blasting has a temporary limit exception through the start of 2030.
Australia's June 2026 decision retains existing limits for nine chemicals at the December 1, 2026 transition, including benzene and respirable crystalline silica. The proposed reductions for those substances will not proceed at that transition; further work remains pending.
Ontario amendments effective July 1, 2026 expressly recognize CSA-approved respirators in three exposure regulations and add Canadian particulate-filter identifiers to specified asbestos provisions. The changes concern respirator approval and filter references within each regulation's existing scope.
The U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration finalized new silica protections in 2024, but the compliance deadlines remain stayed. April and August 2026 federal notices confirm continued application of existing mine standards and paused enforcement of the new requirements.
California's enhanced general-industry silica protections became permanent on February 5, 2025. The amendments added protections for specified high-exposure tasks, including monitoring and respiratory protection, while retaining the existing 50 µg/m³ permissible exposure limit.
Alberta's 2026 occupational exposure-limit review proposes changes involving benzene, diesel particulate matter and exposure assessment. Feedback remains under review in the checked source, with no adoption or binding commencement date established.
British Columbia changed selected exposure limits and substance definitions within WorkSafeBC jurisdiction on July 10, 2024. The changes include selected metals and other substances; the respirable manganese limit was expressly unchanged.
Australia's future workplace exposure limit list adds diesel particulate matter at 0.01 mg/m³ measured as respirable elemental carbon. Application is scheduled from December 1, 2026 in adopting regimes and depends on the relevant jurisdiction and sector law.
Queensland's checked mining Schedule 5 treats welding fumes, respirable crystalline silica and diesel particulate matter separately from its general incorporation of the Safe Work Australia list. This entry records that sector-specific baseline without asserting a new commencement date.
The 2024 amendment to international standard ISO 45001 adds consideration of climate-change relevance and related interested-party requirements to the occupational health and safety management-system context. Publication does not establish a universal statutory compliance date.
The Australian Capital Territory adopted the 1 mg/m³ eight-hour aluminium welding-fume standard on September 9, 2026. Its local commencement followed the November 2025 national-list revision.
The Australian Capital Territory's approved silica Code of Practice took effect July 1, 2024. It provides practical guidance under ACT WHS law for silica risks from engineered stone and other materials.
Australia's domestic prohibition on defined engineered-stone benchtops, panels and slabs began July 1, 2024, covering manufacture, supply, processing and installation. Limited exceptions and controls apply to permitted legacy work; available transitional-contract periods ended in 2024.
Australia's federal import prohibition for engineered-stone benchtops, panels and slabs began January 1, 2025. It complements the domestic workplace prohibition and permits imports only where a specified written permission, confirmation or exemption applies.
Australia's national list reduced the eight-hour aluminium welding-fume standard to 1 mg/m³ on November 17, 2025. Local adoption dates vary; the Australian Capital Territory's separate commencement is recorded in the related finding.
Australia's national list reduced the eight-hour workplace exposure standard for welding fumes not otherwise classified from 5 to 1 mg/m³ on January 18, 2024. Substance-specific component limits also apply, and local or sector commencement requires separate confirmation.
Safe Work Australia published employer and technical air-monitoring guides in July 2026 for the workplace exposure limit transition. The paired guides replace the earlier interpretation guidance from December 1, 2026.
Safe Work Australia published a model silica Code of Practice in August 2025 and clarified professional titles and reporting in November. It provides a reference for silica assessment and controls; local approval of this edition requires confirmation.
From September 1, 2024, New South Wales requires reporting of workplace exposure-standard exceedances associated with high-risk crystalline-silica-substance processing. Notification and the air-monitoring report are due as soon as reasonably practicable, within 14 days of receiving results; monitoring reports must be retained for 30 years.
Australia's stronger model crystalline-silica processing provisions have a September 1, 2024 commencement framework, with local variations. They cover materials containing at least 1% crystalline silica by weight and add controls and high-risk processing duties.
Victoria's engineered-stone prohibition took effect July 1, 2024 without a transition for pre-existing contracts. Permitted legacy processing remains controlled under Victorian OHS law, but WorkSafe notification is not required for that work.
Victoria's checked guidance distinguishes the mandatory 0.05 mg/m³ respirable crystalline silica workplace exposure standard from a precautionary recommendation to remain below 0.02 mg/m³. This entry explains the baseline and does not establish a new 2025 reduction.
Western Australia commenced enhanced crystalline-silica processing requirements under its General Regulations on September 1, 2024. The changes include reporting relevant high-risk processing exceedances and expressly exclude mine sites from this General Regulations package.
British Columbia adopted an eight-hour limit of 0.0001 mg/m³ for inhalable fentanyl and fentanyl citrate, expressed as fentanyl, effective January 29, 2025. WorkSafeBC withheld the recommended short-term limit because of sampling issues.
British Columbia adopted selected exposure-limit and substance-definition changes effective June 20, 2025 within WorkSafeBC jurisdiction. The decision covers antimony trioxide, solvents, mica and other listed substances; benzene was excluded from this adopted batch.
WorkSafeBC's consultation outcome excluded benzene from British Columbia's adopted exposure-limit batch. The outcome establishes no new legal benzene limit, and an exact outcome publication date was not verified.
WorkSafeBC placed the June 2026 exposure-limit recommendations on British Columbia's excluded-substances table pending review. Existing limits continue; those recommendations do not automatically replace them, and the exact notice date was not verified.
British Columbia removed styrene from WorkSafeBC's excluded-substances table on January 8, 2025. The resulting limits are a 10 ppm eight-hour time-weighted average and a 20 ppm short-term exposure limit within the applicable WorkSafeBC regime.
Manitoba's M.R. 108/2025 replaced asbestos provisions from registration on December 4, 2025, including inventory, record and notification duties. Specified certification, business-registration and related duties begin June 1, 2027.
WorkSafeNB began full enforcement of the General Regulation 91-191 amendments on January 9, 2025. The checked regulation uses the 2016 ACGIH edition for its exposure-limit definition, subject to explicit exceptions.
Nova Scotia's Safety Branch identified 2024 exposure-limit changes under the province's latest-version incorporation, including benzene, epichlorohydrin and fentanyl. The regulation allows a limited transition using the required or immediately previous edition; exact adoption dates were not established here.
Quebec's Decree 280-2024 amended RSST Schedule I and respiratory-protection certification requirements. General provisions began March 14, 2024, while specified substance provisions began March 1, 2026.
Canada's transition to amended Hazardous Products Regulations ended December 14, 2025. Regulated suppliers must meet the amended classification, safety data sheet and label requirements; Health Canada's July 19, 2027 enforcement-policy milestone does not extend the legal transition.
BSI lists BS EN 689:2018, incorporating the 2019 corrigendum, as the current exposure-assessment reference in the checked publisher metadata. No new 2024 to 2026 edition was verified; this entry records the current baseline.
ISO is developing a successor to international standard ISO 45001, with the next edition planned for 2027. The checked information does not establish final replacement requirements or a transition deadline.
ISO/PAS 45007:2026 provides voluntary guidance on occupational health and safety risks associated with climate change and adaptation or mitigation work. Its publication establishes no mandatory numerical exposure limit or statutory commencement date.
U.S. EPA proposed use restrictions and workplace protections for 1-bromopropane in 2024, including an eight-hour exposure limit of 0.05 ppm for covered continuing uses. No final rule or binding compliance date was verified.
California posted a discussion draft on September 16, 2026 addressing a proposed prohibition involving artificial stone above 1% crystalline silica and related silica amendments. It remains a pre-adoption proposal; September 30, 2026 is a comment date.
California's indoor heat standard took effect July 23, 2024 for most indoor workplaces. Requirements generally begin at 82°F, with additional assessment and control triggers at 87°F and under specified 82°F conditions.
A U.S. EPA amendment effective July 28, 2026 extended selected carbon tetrachloride workplace inhalation-protection deadlines. Covered non-federal workplaces have initial monitoring due June 21, 2027 and specified protections due September 20, 2027; exposure-limit values and dermal-protection deadlines were unchanged.
Maryland's indoor and outdoor heat-protection regulation took effect September 30, 2024. Covered work at a heat index of 80°F or above requires heat-stress protections, with additional measures under high-heat conditions.
A U.S. EPA amendment effective December 15, 2025 extended non-federal laboratory methylene chloride protection deadlines by 18 months. Covered laboratories have initial monitoring due November 9, 2026, associated protections due February 8, 2027 and exposure-control plans due May 10, 2027.
A U.S. EPA rule effective July 8, 2024 prohibits most methylene chloride uses and establishes a Workplace Chemical Protection Program for specified continuing uses. Covered non-federal, non-laboratory workplaces had staged monitoring and protection deadlines in 2025; laboratory schedules were amended separately.
Minnesota is developing revised lead standards through a pre-rulemaking feedback process. The checked material does not establish adopted numerical limits or a binding implementation date.
The U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration's August 2026 regulatory agenda describes planned revisions to the stayed silica rule, including monitoring, respiratory protection and medical surveillance. The agenda does not establish an enacted amendment or a new compliance date.
Nevada's heat-illness regulation was filed November 15, 2024, and full enforcement began April 29, 2025. It establishes heat-hazard analysis and related procedures, training and response duties for covered employers.
U.S. EPA proposed restrictions and workplace protections for N-methylpyrrolidone in 2024, with an emphasis on preventing skin contact. The checked sources still describe a proposal, and no final rule or binding compliance date was verified.
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration updated its Hazard Communication Standard effective July 19, 2024, principally aligning it with GHS Revision 7. Changes cover classification, labels and safety data sheets; a separate 2026 amendment extended the phased compliance dates.
A U.S. EPA amendment effective July 28, 2026 extended selected perchloroethylene workplace inhalation-protection deadlines. Covered non-federal workplaces have staged dates in June, September and December 2027; the amendment did not change the exposure-limit values or dermal-protection deadlines.
U.S. EPA trichloroethylene requirements have use-specific phaseouts and selective postponements. A May 18, 2026 notice postponed conditions on section 6(g) exemptions during judicial review; separate extensions address specified nuclear-fuel processing and wastewater disposal.
Washington updated wildfire-smoke AQI references effective May 16, 2025 following EPA's revised AQI mapping. The change aligned the displayed AQI values while retaining the underlying PM2.5 concentration-based requirements.
Washington opened a preproposal inquiry on August 4, 2026 concerning lead medical-removal and return-to-work requirements. The inquiry starts rule development and does not establish a changed exposure limit or a new compliance date.
Washington's permanent workplace wildfire-smoke protections took effect January 15, 2024. Covered employers must follow the smoke-protection requirements under WAC 296-820 or the applicable agricultural provisions; AQI references were updated separately in 2025.
Each record includes the original sources, relevant dates and unresolved questions. See coverage and methodology for the limits of this resource.