​The Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority of Finland has opened a consultation period requesting opinions on the Authority’s decision to investigate and monitor radiation exposure to workers. Comments were accepted until January 19, 2018. The Authority requests that submissions be broken down according to subheadings indicated in the request for comments form, found online. The key objective of the proposed decision is to regulate the exposure conditions, personal dose monitoring, and the reporting of results to comply with the provisions of the new Radiation Act. 

Kenya’s government introduced the draft of The National Waste Management Bill, 2017 in December 2017.  The new bill aims to improve waste management by establishing an appropriate legal and institutional framework for the efficient and sustainable management of waste in the framework of the green economy, the realization of Kenya Vision 2030 zero waste goal, and the provision of a clean and healthy environment for all Kenyans for connected purposes.
 
The general principles of the bill include the following:
 

• Promoting the constitutional right to a clean and healthy environment;
• The precautionary principle;
• The polluter pays principle;
• Payment for ecosystems services;
• Access to information on waste management;
• Zero waste principle;
• Achieving sustainable development goals; and
• Poverty alleviation and job creation, especially for the youth.

The Ontario Court of Appeal recently ruled that the Ministry of Labour (MOL) can prosecute employers under the "general duty" clause of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) even where the charges impose obligations that are greater than those set out in the regulations under the OHSA.
 
In Ontario (Labour) v. Quinton Steel (Wellington) Limited, 2017 ONCA 1006 (CanLII), the trial and an appeal justice had determined that the employer could not be found guilty of failing to provide guardrails around a temporary work platform as the applicable regulation under the OHSA, Industrial Establishments, which addressed the issue of guardrails, did not require them in this particular situation, a temporary work platform at a height of six feet. Accordingly, the lower courts ruled that the MOL could not use the "general duty" requirement found in s. 25(2)(h) of the OHSA to impose obligations greater than those in the regulation.
 
The Ontario Court of Appeal disagreed, reasoning that regulations cannot be expected to anticipate the circumstances of all workplaces across Ontario. The Court found that the key question was whether the installation of guardrails was a reasonable precaution. The Court of Appeal held that the trial justice failed to address that point. The appeal court allowed the appeal and ordered a new trial before a different justice. 

​Ukraine consulted on requirements for safety and health in the use of production equipment by employees. The requirements would apply to all business entities, and establish minimum requirements for the safety and health protection of employees during the use of industrial equipment. They have been developed on the basis of Directive 2009/104 / EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 September 2009 on the minimum safety and health requirements for the use of work equipment by workers in the exercise of their professional activities (second individual Directive within the meaning of Article 16, paragraph 1 Directive 89/391 / EEC). The consultation closed on January 6, 2018. 

​On June 15, 2017, Sweden’s national legislature passed the Climate Act, a climate policy framework for the country. This framework was developed following a 2014 government policy promise and work from the Cross-Party Committee on Environmental Objectives.  The purpose of the framework is to develop a clear, consistent and coherent climate policy for the country. The pillars of the framework include:
 
·       New climate goals to reduce and eliminate emissions;
·       The Climate Act to establish how the Government’s climate goals will be carried out; and
·       A climate policy council to assist the Government with independent assessments of goals and progress.
 
The framework entered into force on January 1, 2018, and will provide long-term conditions for business and society to implement and transition to a country that is conscious of climate change. Under the framework, the Government’s climate policy must be based on the climate goals and specify how work is to be carried out. With the enactment of the framework, the Government must present a climate report every year in its Budget Bill and develop a climate policy action plan every four years to describe how climate change goals have been and are to be achieved.