On August 21, 2018, Collingwood Prime Realty Holdings Corp. and its director were sentenced in the Ontario Court of Justice for offences under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999.  The sentence resulted from an investigation which uncovered two electrical transformers and eight electrical capacitors that contained impermissible PCB levels.  The equipment had not been sent for destruction to an authorized facility.  The court sentenced the director to a 45-day jail term due to the failure to comply with an environmental protection compliance order. The Court also sentenced the corporation and director to pay a combined penalty of $420,000 to the Federal Environmental Damages Fund.
 
Additional information: https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/environmental-enforcement/notifications/director-ontario-company-sentenced-jail-time-fined-offences-canadian-environmental-protection-act-1999.html. 

Senate Bill No. 2505/2018 established the Electronic Waste Treatment Program. The purpose of Bill’s requirements is to provide basic knowledge to the population on the importance of the treatment, recovery, reuse and recycling of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) and Waste Electrical and Electronic Devices (WEEE). The Bill also seeks to enhance awareness on the impact of these materials on the ecosystem.
 
Additional information: http://www.senado.gov.ar/parlamentario/comisiones/verExp/2505.18/S/PL.

Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), the international sustainability reporting organization, issued revised occupational health and safety standard GRI 403 on June 28, 2018. The new standard aligns with key international instruments from the International Labour Organization (ILO) and with ISO 45001. GRI 403: Occupational Health and Safety sets out reporting requirements on the topic of occupational health and safety, including emphasis on identification of hazards and assessment of risks, the application of hierarchy of controls, and improved methodologies for measuring and reporting work-related injuries and ill health. The Standard can be used by an organization of any size, type, sector or geographic location that wants to report on its impacts related to this topic. The Standard is effective for reports or other materials published on or after January 1, 2021, although earlier adoption is encouraged.
 
Additional information: https://www.globalreporting.org/standards/media/1910/gri-403-occupational-health-and-safety-2018.pdf.  

The Ministry of Climate Change and the Environment has launched the National Electronic Waste Database to collect information on, and classify, all types of waste generated in the UAE. The system will provide data on non-hazardous waste and hazardous waste, including medical waste, industrial waste, animal waste, and more. The system will also track methods and rates of treatment and present monthly and annual dynamic reports.
 
Additional information:
https://www.moccae.gov.ae/ar/media-center/news/7/7/2018/ministry-of-climate-change-and-environment-launches-national-waste-database.aspx.

On July 1, 2018, a new Executive Order on limit values ​​for substances and materials (the limit value order) was issued. The reason for the Executive Order is that an EU directive (2017/164 / EU) has been issued with limit values ​​for 31 chemical substances and materials at work.
 
The directive has the following consequences:
 

• For 20 of the chemical substances, the directive sets lower limit values ​​than the Danish. This means that the Danish limit values ​​must be reduced accordingly.
• For six of the chemical substances, the directive's limit values ​​are in line with the Danish.
• For five of the chemical substances, the directive sets a higher limit value than the Danish. For these substances, the lower Danish limit values ​​are maintained.

 
The new limit values ​​are not expected to have business or administrative consequences. When companies comply with the already existing occupational safety requirements, it will also be sufficient to comply with the new limit values.

Congress has passed an act establishing a National Mental Health Policy and addressing the need for more integrated mental health services in the public and private sectors. It contains a provision requiring employers to develop “appropriate” mental health policies and programs. The text containing this requirement is on Page 20 of this act.
 
Additional information: http://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/downloads/2018/06jun/20180620-RA-11036-RRD.pdf.

On June 15, 2018, Belgium’s Council of Ministers approved a draft Royal Decree on projects for the primary prevention of burnout at work (within companies). As of July 1, 2018, an employer from the private sector or a joint committee will be able to submit a subsidy application to support pilot projects that propose an integrated and multidisciplinary approach to the primary prevention of psychosocial risks, particularly burnout. It must concern collective actions such as guidance in determining, applying, and evaluating prevention measures, a research project, or the development of prevention or intervention tools.
 
Projects can be submitted from July 1, 2018 to September 15, 2018 and will be implemented from December 15, 2018 until December 14, 2019 at the latest. The submission form became available July 1, 2018 on the website of the NAR and the FPS Employment.
 
Additional information: http://www.werk.belgie.be/defaultNews.aspx?id=47796. http://www.cnt-nar.be/Dossier-NL-burnout.htm. 

Colombia has issued Resolution 2423 of 2018, which establishes technical parameters for breastfeeding rooms in the workplace. This Resolution establishes requirements for the design, equipment, and registration of lactation rooms. It came into force on June 8, 2018.
 
Additional information: http://www.colcob.com/noticolcob/index.php/panorama/item/101-resolucion-2423-de-2018-texto-completo.

The Solid Waste and Chemical Management Center announced on May 15, 2018, the launch of an online declaration system for the import and export of toxic chemicals in China’s International Trade Single Window. All toxic chemicals are listed in the Inventory of Severely Restricted Toxic Chemicals (2018) published by the now-abolished Ministry of Environmental Protection. Beginning May 16, 2018, entities must conduct the notification for Customs Clearance for Importing/Exporting Toxic Chemicals through the declaration system via http://www.singlewindow.cn/.
 
Additional information: http://www.mepscc.cn/tabid/75/InfoID/2913/frtid/40/Default.aspx.

South Africa has introduced the draft of National Health Care Risk Waste Management Regulations. These Regulations monitor the management of health care risk waste, create requirements for the management of risk waste so it no longer constitutes a threat, ensures third party protection, and creates duties for waste generators, waste transporters, and waste managers. The Regulations also will create specific prohibitions on the disposal and treatment of health care risk waste. Additionally, provisions include the segregation, packaging, labeling and storage of risk waste, the duties of generators, transporters and managers, and penalties for non-compliance.
 
Additional information: https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/Proposed-National-Health-Care-Risk-Waste-Care-Management-Regulations.pdf.