The Labor Inspection Department of the Ministry of Labor, Welfare and Social Security announced that for the purpose of harmonization with the European Regulation (EU) 2016/425 on personal protective equipment, it has prepared new draft Regulations, expected to become effective on April 21, 2018, at which time the Essential Requirements (Personal Protection Equipment) Regulations of 2003 (PI 315/2003) will be abolished.  Comments were due by July 31, 2017. 

​A new provision prohibiting vaping in certain workplaces is being added to the internal regulations of companies in France with more than 20 employees. Specifically, the use of electronic cigarettes (vaping) in premises with workstations, closed and covered and used for collective use, is prohibited from October 1, 2017.  Although it will be prohibited to vaporize in common areas, it is not banned in individual offices. The employer must put in place signage on the prohibition of vaping. Failure to do so may result in imposition of a penalty. The act of smoking electronic cigarettes in the workplace in violation of the prohibition may also be subject to a fine. 

​British Columbia is consulting on proposed occupational exposure limits (OELs) based on the New or Revised 2013, 2014 and 2015 ACGIH TLVs. WorkSafeBC is proposing new or revised OELs for 20 substances, which include: acetone; butane, all isomers; glycerin mist; and naphthalene. WorkSafeBC also proposes a withdrawal of the OEL for Ethylidene norbornene. Comments must be submitted by 4:30 p.m., September 1, 2017. 

Sleep as a Part of Workplace Wellness: Over the past few decades, workplace wellness programs have increasingly taken root in workplaces around the world. However, sleep, which along with diet and exercise is one of the pillars of health and wellness, receives relatively little attention by employers and workplace wellness programs.[1]                                                           
 
This is a costly oversight. The National Sleep Foundation states that highly fatigued workers are 70% more likely to be involved in accidents.
 
Catastrophes due to fatigue include:

• Union Carbide chemical plant in Bhopal
• Chernobyl
• Three Mile Island
• Exxon-Valdez

Lack of sufficient sleep can cause:

• Workplace accidents
• Lost productivity
• Absenteeism
• Impaired reaction time and judgment
• Short term memory and information processing problems
• Decreased performance and motivation
• More difficulty with concentration and handling stress

 
The study ‘Why Sleep Matters – The Economic Costs of Insufficient Sleep’–quantified economic losses due to lack of sleep among workers in the U.S, UK, Canada, Germany, and Japan. It found the following:

• The U.S. sustains the highest economic losses (up to $411 billion a year), and the most working days lost (1.2 million) due to sleep deprivation among its workforce.

• Japan (up to $138 billion a year); approximately 600,000 working days lost. Nearly half of full-time workers say they do not get enough sleep, with long overtime hours the primary reason.
• Germany (up to $60 billion); just over 200,000 working days lost;
• UK (up to $50 billion); sleep deprivation leads to the UK losing around 200,000 working days a year.
• Canada has the lowest financial losses due to lack of sleep (up to $21.4 billion). Just under 80,000 working days are lost.

Starting from July, to the end of October 2017, the Jiangsu Administration of Work Safety will carry out large scale, all-industries, general work safety inspections, covering all production entities and high population facilities. For corporations, the inspectors will specifically focus on the enforcement of both federal and local work safety laws and regulations, work hazard control and remediation efforts, emergency response management, and work safety education and training.

​Starting on August 1, 2017, the Shandong Hazardous Chemicals Management Measures will officially be implemented in Qingdao, with a focus to remediate the high frequency of incidents in recent years. The implementation will focus on work safety training for entities and entity workers in hazardous chemicals industries, strict application of existing laws and regulations regarding hazardous chemicals, encouragement for better monitoring, and broadening of legal actions against rule breakers.