By: Sydney Sybydlo
Here are a few noteworthy global EHS regulatory changes in April 2024. We cover EHS legislation and standards for over 30 countries and 400 jurisdictions. If you would like to track legislative changes for specific regions, countries, or jurisdictions, we are happy to help. Please send us a request for more information here, and we will contact you shortly. Note that descriptions with an asterisk (*) were generated with artificial intelligence.
- Canada – Federal
- Canada – Ontario
- Canada – Quebec
- Canada – Yukon
- United States – Federal
- United States – Maine
- United States – Massachusetts
- United States – Virginia
- United States – Wisconsin
- European Union
- Australia – Victoria
- Germany
- Ireland
- Italy
- China
Canada – Federal
New Principal Document – Notice with respect to reporting of plastic resins and certain plastic products for the Federal Plastics Registry for 2024, 2025 and 2026
First Effective Date: 20 April 2024
Industry Sector: General Industry, Other
This document requires specified persons (who manufacture, produce, market, collect, recycle, or incinerate listed plastic resins, plastic products or their waste) to submit annual reports to the government containing specified information for calendar years 2024 through 2026.
Canada – Ontario
Amended Document – Greenhouse Gas Emissions Performance Standards
Amending Document – Amending O. Reg. 241/19 (Greenhouse Gas Emissions Performance Standards)
First Effective Date: 16 April 2024
Industry Sector: General Industry, Office Spaces, Building Management & Maintenance
The change to this document notably:
- updates various requirements related to greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reporting, including those related to facility registration applications, and the circumstances in which a registration may be cancelled;
- updates applicability of compliance requirements, adverse or no verification amount conclusions, and adverse or no production parameter verification conclusions;
- details the steps for calculating EPS facilities’ total annual emissions limit for each compliance period; and
- adds three items to the list of industrial activities (the performance of which is subject to compliance with the document): cement and concrete product manufacturing, coating/engraving/cold and heat treating and allied activities, and battery manufacturing.
Amended Document – Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Quantification, Reporting and Verification
Amending Document – Amending O. Reg. 390/18 (Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Quantification, Reporting and Verification)
First Effective Date: 16 April 2024
Industry Sector: General Industry, Building Management & Maintenance
The change to this document notably:
- revises the applicability of requirements to quantify and calculate their annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, based on thresholds of carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions;
- updates the formula for determining “the verification amount in respect of [a] covered facility”;
- requires, in some circumstances, that reports be verified by an accredited verification body and be accompanied by a verification statement;
- updates what information verification bodies must include in their verification reports;
- revises the list of information to be included in annual reports on the amount of facilities’ GHG emissions; and
- replaces references to “production parameter” with “EPS parameter”.
Canada – Quebec
Amended Document – Act respecting labour standards
Amending Document – An Act to prevent and fight psychological harassment and sexual violence in the workplace
First Effective Date: 27 March 2024
Industry Sector: General Industry, Office Spaces, Building Management & Maintenance
According to the Government of Quebec, changes to the document notably:
- specifies “that an employer’s obligations to prevent psychological harassment apply to harassment from any person in the work environment”;
- prescribes “the minimum content of the policy to prevent and manage situations of psychological harassment (the “policy”) that the employer must adopt”;
- provides “that no individual contract of employment, collective agreement, collective agreement decree or any other agreement relating to conditions of employment may operate to prevent an employer from taking into account a disciplinary measure previously imposed on an employee for misconduct relating to physical or psychological violence committed by the employee, including sexual violence, when imposing a disciplinary measure concerning a new case of misconduct relating to one of those forms of violence”;
- provides “that it is a prohibited practice for an employer to take reprisals against an employee or impose any other sanction on an employee on the ground that the employee has made a report to the employer concerning psychological harassment behaviour targeting another person”;
- provides “for the power of mediators to put an end to a mediation if they consider, in the circumstances, that their intervention is not useful or appropriate”;
- provides “that, in the settlement of a complaint concerning psychological harassment, the parties may agree to relieve each other from the duty of confidentiality, provided that they specify that they do so by written agreement”; and
- raises “the fines for offences against any provision concerning psychological harassment.”
The Act respecting occupational health and safety was also updated to require employers’ prevention programs to include the policy to prevent and manage situations of psychological harassment and to require action plans to include the new psychological harassment prevention policy (both outlined in the Act respecting labour standards), and to add a requirement for employers to take measures determined by regulation to prevent or stop sexual violence.
Canada – Yukon
New Principal Document – Animal Protection and Control Regulation
First Effective Date: 4 April 2024
Industry Sector: General Industry, Office Spaces, Building Management & Maintenance
This document prescribes standards of care for various animal species, including requirements for humane killing, cosmetic surgeries, controlling feral and high-risk animals, seizing animals in custody, and appealing expenses or fees. It outlines procedures for permits, hearings, and appeals related to animal protection and control.*
New Principal Document – Animal and Species Regulation
First Effective Date: 5 April 2024
Industry Sector: General Industry, Office Spaces, Building Management & Maintenance
This document prescribes species as “animals”, “livestock”, “high-risk animals”, “allowed species”, “restricted species”, and “prohibited species” for the purposes of the rules contained in the Animal Protection and Control Act.
United States – Federal
Amended Document – 40 CFR 63 Subpart O Ethylene Oxide Emissions Standards for Sterilization Facilities
Amending Document – National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants: Ethylene Oxide Emissions Standards for Sterilization Facilities Residual Risk and Technology Review
First Effective Date: 5 April 2024
Industry Sector: General Industry
According to the government, the change to this document “finalizes the residual risk and technology review (RTR) conducted for the Commercial Sterilization Facilities source category regulated under national emission standards for hazardous air pollutants (NESHAP).” It updates “definitions for affected sources, emission standards for previously unregulated sources, amendments pursuant to the risk review to address ethylene oxide (EtO) emissions from certain sterilization chamber vents (SCVs), aeration room vents (ARVs), chamber exhaust vents (CEVs), and room air emissions, and amendments pursuant to the technology review for certain SCVs and ARVs.”
It also corrects and clarifies “provisions related to emissions during periods of startup, shutdown, and malfunction (SSM), including removing exemptions for periods of SSM [and requires] owners and operators to demonstrate compliance through the use of EtO continuous emissions monitoring systems (CEMS), with exceptions for very small users of EtO; add provisions for electronic reporting of performance test results and other reports; and include other technical revisions to improve consistency and clarity. We estimate that these final amendments will reduce EtO emissions from this source category by approximately 21 tons per year (tpy).”
Amended Document – 40 CFR 68 Subpart D Program 3 Prevention Program
Amending Document – Accidental Release Prevention Requirements: Risk Management Programs Under the Clean Air Act; Safer Communities by Chemical Accident Prevention
First Effective Date: 10 May 2024
Industry Sector: General Industry, Building Management & Maintenance
According to the government, the changes to the document notably:
- “clarify that the requirement to keep [process safety information] up to date explicitly applies to Program 3 processes” and that they must “document compliance rather than merely ‘ensure’ compliance”;
- require “hazard evaluations [to] explicitly address external events such as natural hazards,” the risk of power failure, and standby or emergency power systems;
- “require documentation of removal of monitoring equipment associated with prevention and detection of accidental releases from covered processes during imminent natural hazards”;
- require a third-party audit in specified circumstances and set out rules for the conduct of their audits and content of their audit reports;
- “require the owner or operator to investigate specific factors that contributed to an incident, for incidents that meet the accident history reporting requirements”;
- “require the owner or operator to consult with employees and their representatives on addressing, correcting, resolving, documenting, and implementing recommendations and findings of [process hazard analyses],” compliance audits, and incident investigations and make other changes to the rules governing employee participation; and
- “require retention of hot work permits for three years rather than five.”
Amended Document – 49 CFR 173 Subpart E Non-bulk Packaging for Hazardous Materials Other Than Class 1 and Class 7
Amending Document – Hazardous Materials: Harmonization With International Standards
First Effective Date: 10 May 2024
Industry Sector: General Industry
The change to this document is part of a suite of amendments that, according to the government, harmonize hazardous materials regulations with international regulations and standards. Changes to this document notably:
- distinguish consumer commodity packaging instructions and exceptions;
- “[clarify] that ID8000 material is inherently a limited quantity”;
- “clarify that the materials and quantities listed in [a specific] section may be transported by all modes, and [that] only the [specified materials] are eligible to be transported as ‘ID8000, Consumer commodity'”;
- “require all ID8000 packages to be subject to [limited quantity marking requirements] (i.e. require use of the ‘Y’ limited quantity marking) and other markings required by [49 CFR 172 Subpart D Marking] including marking of the ID number and PSN”;
- “provide exceptions to ID8000 packages for shipping papers and labels when transported by highway and rail [and a] new labeling exception for ID8000 packages transported by vessel”;
- make “numerous changes” to requirements concerning the transportation of lithium cells and batteries (a detailed breakdown is available here);
- add a new entry to the Self-Reactive Materials Table (which “specifies requirements for self-reactive materials authorized for transportation that do not require prior approval for transportation”);
- correct the name of “2-(N,N-Methylaminoethylcarbonyl)-4-(3,4-dimethylphenylsulphonyl)benzenediazonium hydrogen sulphate” and “provide concentration limits of water and organic impurities fo this new self-reactive material”;
- add new entries to the Organic Peroxide Table (which are subject to packaging requirements); and
- specify when air transportation of certain materials is permitted.
New Principal Document – 17 CFR 229 Subpart 229.1500 Climate-Related Disclosure
First Effective Date: 28 May 2024
Industry Sector: Finance & Insurance
According to the government, this document requires registrants (issuers of securities) to make disclosures concerning matters such as climate-related risks to their strategy, mitigating activities, transitional plans, internal carbon prices, Scope 1 and 2 emissions, costs and losses resulting from weather events and carbon offsets.
New Principal Document – 40 CFR 751 Subpart F Chrysotile Asbestos
First Effective Date: 28 May 2024
Industry Sector: General Industry
According to its content, this document “sets certain restrictions on the manufacture (including import), processing, distribution in commerce, and commercial use and disposal of chrysotile asbestos (CASRN 132207-32-0) to prevent unreasonable risk of injury to health.” It contains requirements concerning compliance certifications for the chlor-alkali industry, workplace controls of chrysotile asbestos exposures, disposal of chrysotile asbestos, and recordkeeping.
New Principal Document – 40 CFR 118 Clean Water Act Hazardous Substances Facility Response Plans
First Effective Date: 28 May 2024
Industry Sector: General Industry, Office Spaces, Building Management & Maintenance
According to its content, this document establishes “hazardous substance facility response plan requirements for the owner or operator of any non-transportation-related onshore facility that, because of its location, could reasonably be expected to cause substantial harm to the environment by discharging [Clean Water Act] hazardous substances into or on the navigable waters, adjoining shorelines, or the exclusive economic zone.” It contains criteria detailing its applicability, general requirements, rules for appealing the applicability criteria, exceptions and exemptions, and applicability to hazardous substance mixtures. It also requires facilities to model “a worst case discharge scenario” and to provide facility response training, drills, and exercises to employees.
New Principal Document – 17 CFR 229 Subpart 229.1500 Climate-Related Disclosure
First Effective Date: 28 May 2024
Industry Sector: Finance & Insurance
According to the government, this document requires registrants (issuers of securities) to make disclosures concerning matters such as climate-related risks to their strategy, mitigating activities, transitional plans, internal carbon prices, Scope 1 and 2 emissions, costs and losses resulting from weather events, and carbon offsets.
New Principal Document – 40 CFR 751 Subpart F Chrysotile Asbestos
First Effective Date: 28 May 2024
Industry Sector: General Industry
According to its content, this document “sets certain restrictions on the manufacture (including import), processing, distribution in commerce, and commercial use and disposal of chrysotile asbestos (CASRN 132207-32-0) to prevent unreasonable risk of injury to health.” It contains requirements concerning compliance certifications for the chlor-alkali industry, workplace controls of chrysotile asbestos exposures, disposal of chrysotile asbestos, and recordkeeping.
New Principal Document – 40 CFR 118 Clean Water Act Hazardous Substances Facility Response Plans
First Effective Date: 28 May 2024
Industry Sector: General Industry, Office Spaces, Building Management & Maintenance
According to its content, this document establishes “hazardous substance facility response plan requirements for the owner or operator of any non-transportation-related onshore facility that, because of its location, could reasonably be expected to cause substantial harm to the environment by discharging [Clean Water Act (CWA)] hazardous substances into or on the navigable waters, adjoining shorelines, or the exclusive economic zone.” It contains criteria detailing its applicability, general requirements, rules for appealing the applicability criteria, exceptions and exemptions, and applicability to hazardous substance mixtures. It also requires facilities to model “a worst case discharge scenario” and to provide facility response training, drills, and exercises to employees.
Amended Document – 40 CFR 63 Subpart FFFFF National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Integrated Iron and Steel Manufacturing Facilities
Amending Document – National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants: Integrated Iron and Steel Manufacturing Facilities Technology Review
First Effective Date: 3 June 2024
Industry Sector: General Industry
According to the government, the change to this document updates “National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for Integrated Iron and Steel Manufacturing Facilities” by regulating “[hazardous air pollutants (HAP)] from unmeasured fugitive and intermittent particulate (UFIP) sources previously not regulated by the NESHAP; previously unregulated HAP for sinter plants:; previously unregulated pollutants for blast furnace (BF) stoves and basic oxygen process furnaces (BOPFs) primary control devices; and previously unregulated pollutants for BF primary control devices.”
New Principal Document – 49 CFR 218 Subpart G Train Crew Size Safety Requirements
First Effective Date: 10 June 2024
Industry Sector: Rail Transportation
According to its content, this document “prescribes minimum requirements for the size of different train crews depending on the type of operation and operating conditions. The minimum crew size requirements reflect the safety risks posed to railroad employees, the public, and the environment. [It] also prescribes minimum requirements for the location of a second crewmember on a moving train and promotes safe and effective teamwork. Each railroad may prescribe additional or more stringent requirements in its operating rules, timetables, timetable special instructions, and other instructions.”
New Principal Document – 30 CFR Part 60 Respirable Crystalline Silica
First Effective Date: 17 June 2024
Industry Sector: Mining & Minerals Industry
According to its content, this document “sets forth mandatory health standards for each surface and underground metal, nonmetal, and coal mine subject to the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977, as amended. Requirements regarding medical surveillance for metal and nonmetal mines are also included.” It sets out permissible exposure limits, respiratory protection requirements, acceptable methods of compliance, exposure monitoring methods, and related recordkeeping requirements.
Amended Document – Control of Emissions from New and In-Use Highway Vehicles and Engines (86.601-1 to 86.1935)
Amending Document – Multi-Pollutant Emissions Standards for Model Years 2027 and Later Light-Duty and Medium-Duty Vehicles
First Effective Date: 17 June 2024
Industry Sector: General Industry
The change to this document is part of a suite of amendments that, according to the government, “[establish] new, more protective emissions standards for criteria pollutants and greenhouse gases (GHG) for light-duty vehicles and Class 2b and 3 (‘medium-duty’) vehicles that will phase-in over model years 2027 through 2032.” Revisions to the GHG program are also made “in several areas, including off-cycle and air conditioning credits, the treatment of upstream emissions associated with zero-emission vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles in compliance calculations, medium-duty vehicle incentive multipliers, and vehicle certification and compliance.”
New standards “to control refueling emissions from incomplete medium-duty vehicles, and battery durability and warranty requirements for light-duty and medium-duty electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles” are also established, as are “minor mendments to update program requirements related to aftermarket fuel conversions, importing vehicles and engines, evaporative emission test procedures, and test fuel specifications for measuring fuel economy.”
New Principal Document – 29 CFR Part 1636 Pregnant Workers Fairness Act
First Effective Date: 18 June 2024
Industry Sector: General Industry, Office Spaces, Building Management & Maintenance
According to its content, this document “[implements] the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA).” It requires covered entities to make “reasonable accommodation” to employees for pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions and prohibits them from denying employment, requiring leave in lieu of a reasonable accommodation, taking adverse actions against employees, discriminating, and coercing pregnant employees.
Amended Document – 40 CFR 1037 Control of Emissions from New Heavy-Duty Motor Vehicles
Amending Document – Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards for Heavy-Duty Vehicles—Phase 3
First Effective Date: 21 June 2024
Industry Sector: General Industry
The change to this document is part of a suite of amendments that, according to the government, establish “new greehouse gas (GHG) emissions standards for model year (MY) 2032 and later heavy-duty highway vehicles that phase in starting as early as MY 2027 for certain vehicle categories.” It also updates some financial provisions for the implementation of the changes and “[adds] warranty requirements for batteries and other components of zero-emission vehicles and [requires] customer-facing battery state-of-health monitors for plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles.”
New Principal Document – 40 CFR 141 Subpart Z Control of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)
First Effective Date: 25 June 2024
Industry Sector: Utilities & Communications
This document contains “the national primary drinking water regulations for [per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)].” It applies to community water systems and non-transient, non-community water systems. It sets out general, analytic, monitoring, compliance, and reporting and recordkeeping requirements.
Various other subparts of 40 CFR 141 National Primary Drinking Water Standards are updated to reflect these new rules, including the following notable changes:
40 CFR 141 Subpart A General is amended to clarify that PFAS chemicals are regulated by the new document.
40 CFR 141 Subpart C Monitoring and Analytical Requirements is amended to provide that certain sampling and analytic requirements do not apply to the PFAS that are regulated by the new document, and that to comply with analytical and monitoring requirements, PFAS “samples may only be considered if they have been analyzed by a laboratory certified by [the Environmental Protection Agency] or the State,” with some exceptions.
40 CFR 141 Subpart F Maximum Contaminant Level Goals and Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level Goals is amended to set the following maximum contaminant level goals (MCLGs):
- for Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) and Perfluorooctanesulfonic Acid (PFOS), MCLG of zero;
- for Hazard Index per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) (hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA), Perfluorobutane Sulfonate (PFBS), Perfluorohexane Sulfonate (PFHxS), and Perfluorononanoate PFNA)), MCLG of 1 (unitless) milligram per liter (mg/l); and
- for HFPO-DA, PFHxS, AND pfna, MCLGs of 0.00001 mg/l.
40 CFR 141 Subpart G National Primary Drinking Water Regulations: Maximum Contaminant Levels and Maximum Residual Disinfectant Levels is amended to introduce the best and affordable technologies, treatment techniques, and other means of achieving compliance with maximum contaminant levels for specified PFAS.
New Principal Document – 40 CFR 98 Subpart VV Geologic Sequestration of Carbon Dioxide With Enhanced Oil Recovery Using ISO 27916
First Effective Date: 1 January 2025
Industry Sector: Chemical Industry, Oil & Gas Industry
This document sets the carbon dioxide (CO2) reporting requirements for certain enhanced recovery operations for oil and other hydrocarbons. It sets out which greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions must be reported, calculation methodologies for sequestered CO2, monitoring requirements, and general reporting requirements. It also sets requirements for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) operations management plans.
Similar rules concerning greenhouse gas (GHG) reporting requirements were also issued for the following source categories, as indicated by the documents’ titles: 40 CFR 98 Subpart WW Coke Calciners; 40 CFR 98 Subpart XX Calcium Carbide; 40 CFR 98 Subpart YY Caprolactam, Glyoxal, and Glyoxylic Acid Production; and 40 CFR 98 Subpart ZZ Ceramics Manufacturing.
Amended Document – 40 CFR 98 Subpart A General Provision
Amending Document – Revisions and Confidentiality Determinations for Data Elements Under the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Rule
First Effective Date: 1 January 2025
Industry Sector: General Industry, Building Management & Maintenance
According to the government, the change is part of a suite of amendments that update greenhouse gas (GHG) reporting rules “to reflect revised global warming potentials; expands reporting to additional sectors; improves the calculation, recordkeeping, and reporting requirements by updating existing methodologies; improves data verifications; and provides for collection of additional data to better inform and be relevant to a wide variety of Clean Air Act provisions.”
It also “adds greenhouse gas monitoring and reporting for five source categories including coke calcining; ceramics manufacturing; calcium carbide production; caprolactam, glyoxal, and glyoxylic acid production; and facilities conducting geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide with enhanced oil recovery [and updates] applicability estimation methodologies, [simplifies] calculation and monitoring methodologies, [streamlines] recordkeeping and reporting, and other minor technical corrections or clarifications.”
United States – Maine
Amended Document – MRS Chapter 36-105 Cities And Towns
Amending Document – An Act Regarding the Property Tax Exemption, Business Equipment Tax Exemption and Business Equipment Tax Reimbursement for Facilities Storing Spent Nuclear Fuel and Radioactive Waste
First Effective Date: 2 April 2024
Industry Sector: General Industry, Office Spaces, Building Management & Maintenance
The change to this document provides that specified “emissions from and particles of spent nuclear fuel […] and radioactive waste […] are not air pollution and facilities for storing spent nuclear fuel or radioactive waste […] are not air pollution control facilities.”
Amended Document – MRS Chapter 23-619 Inspection And Investigation Of Railroads
Amending Document – An Act Regarding the Transportation of Hazardous Materials by Railroad Companies
First Effective Date: 12 April 2024
Industry Sector: Rail Transportation
The change to this document requires railroad companies to alert first responders in the event of a main line train derailment involving hazardous materials in a timely manner and to provide fire and emergency medical services training to fire and emergency management departments where the railroad company is transporting oil or other hazardous materials.
United States – Massachusetts
Amended Document – CMR 310-7 Air Pollution Control
Amending Document – CMR 310-7 Air Pollution Control 2024-03-29 Amendments
First Effective Date: 29 March 2024
Industry Sector: General Industry, Office Spaces, Building Management & Maintenance
According to the government, the change to this document “[requires] a cumulative impact analysis (CIA) for air quality Comprehensive Plan Applications for facilities located in or near environmental justice (EJ) populations. The CIA requirements […] include enhanced public outreach to and involvement of EJ populations, assessment of existing community conditions, and analysis of cumulative impacts of proposed projects.”
United States – Virginia
Amended Document – CV Chapter 62.1-3.1 State Water Control Law
Amending Document – An Act to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Chapter 3.1 of Title 62.1 an article numbered 13, consisting of sections numbered 62.1-44.34:29 through 62.1-44.34:33, relating to Department of Environmental Quality; PFAS; identification; monitoring; PFAS Expert Advisory Council established; report.
First Effective Date: 1 July 2024
Industry Sector: General Industry, Building Management & Maintenance
The change to this document adds rules concerning per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which notably set out requirements governing self-reporting of PFAS manufacturing and use as well as discharge monitoring by “potentially significant sources” of PFAS.
United States – Wisconsin
Amended Document – WS Chapter 323 Emergency Management
Amending Document – AN ACT to create 323.63 of the statutes; relating to: a pre−disaster flood resilience grant program.
First Effective Date: 5 April 2024
Industry Sector: General Industry
The change to this document introduces “a pre-disaster flood resilience grant program to provide grants to applicants for the purpose of identifying flood vulnerabilities, identifying options to improve flood resiliency, and restoring hydrology in order to reduce flood risk and damages in flood-prone communities” and sets out the eligibility and application criteria for the grants.
European Union
Amended Document – Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/331 of 19 December 2018 determining transitional Union-wide rules for harmonised free allocation of emission allowances pursuant to Article 10a of Directive 2003/87/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (Text with EEA relevance)
Amending Document – Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/873 of 30 January 2024 amending Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/331 as regards transitional Union-wide rules for harmonised free allocation of emission allowances
First Effective Date: 4 April 2024
Industry Sector: General Industry, Building Management & Maintenance
The effect of the changes is notably to:
- update certain definitions, such as the definition of “heat benchmark sub-installation” and “fuel benchmark sub-installation”;
- clarify that measurable and non-measurable heat produced from electricity should be eligible for free allocation under the heat and fuel benchmarks;
- restrict the use of the fuel benchmark to combustion processes where the primary purpose is the generation of non-measurable heat;
- require operators to provide certain information and evidence on the goods produced for product benchmark sub-installations, heat benchmark sub-installations, fuel benchmark sub-installations and process emissions sub-installations;
- update provisions for the European Union’s system of free allocation of emission allowances for certain installations, such as those in relation to steam cracking, vinyl chloride monomer, and heat flows;
- introduce new conditionality requirements for free allocation on the implementation of energy efficiency improvement measures and climate-neutrality plans; and
- adjust definitions of product benchmarks and system boundaries in relation to electricity consumption, including the products covered, related processes and emissions covered, as well as the starting point for the determination of annual reduction rate for benchmark value updates for certain sectors and products, such as sintered ore, hot metal, grey cement clinker, white cement clinker, tissue, soda ash, refinery products, and EAF carbon steel.
New Principal Document – Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/1127 of 8 February 2024 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2019/1242 of the European Parliament and of the Council by setting out the guiding principles and criteria for defining the procedures for the verification of the CO2 emissions and fuel consumption values of heavy-duty vehicles in-service (in-service verification)
First Effective Date: 6 May 2024
Industry Sector: Hardware Manufacturing
This document applies to manufacturers of heavy-duty vehicles within the EU. It details procedures for verifying that CO2 emissions and fuel consumption values of these vehicles, when in service, match the values recorded in customer information files. It excludes zero-emission vehicles and outlines specific tests for in-service verification, including on-road, air drag, and tyre resistance tests. Manufacturers must provide necessary information for verification and cover associated costs through fees. *
Australia – Victoria
Amended Document – Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017
Amending Document – Occupational Health and Safety Amendment (Incident Notification) Regulations 2024
First Effective Date: 1 July 2024
Industry Sector: General Industry, Office Spaces, Building Management & Maintenance
The change to this document, according to the Victorian government, is “to ensure that the Victorian WorkCover Authority is notified [by an employer or self-employed person] of incidents involving the collapse, overturning, failure or malfunction of, or damage to, prescribed plant.”
Germany
Amended Document – Workplace Ordinance
Amending Document – Law on the controlled handling of cannabis and changes to other regulations (Cannabis Act – CanG)
First Effective Date: 1 April 2024
Industry Sector: General Industry, Office Spaces, Building Management & Maintenance
This change concerns all workplaces in Germany. It requires employers to ensure the protection of non-smoking employees from the smoke and vapors of cannabis products and electronic cigarettes in addition to tobacco smoke.
Ireland
New Principal Document – Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Carcinogens, Mutagens and Reprotoxic Substances) Regulations 2024
First Effective Date: 5 April 2024
Industry Sector: General Industry, Office Spaces, Building Management & Maintenance
This document applies to employers and employees. It outlines general requirements for businesses and their workers regarding the use of carcinogenic, mutagenic, and reprotoxic substances in the workplace. Key requirements include risk assessment, exposure prevention/reduction, health surveillance, employee training, and record-keeping obligations. *
It replaces the Safety, Health and Welfare At Work (Carcinogens) Regulations, 2001. The new document notably brings reprotoxic substances to the scope of chemicals to be regulated, establishes provisions for hazardous medicinal products, and “[introduces] allowances for biological monitoring for those companies who wish to carry it out”.
Amended Document – Building Regulations 1997
Amending Document – Building Regulations (Part B Amendment) Regulations 2024
First Effective Date: 1 May 2025
Industry Sector: General Industry, Office Spaces, Building Management & Maintenance
The changes to the document notably add and update certain definitions, such as the definition of “industrial building – high hazard”, “industrial building – normal hazard”, and “place of assembly”, and revise the list of building uses where a material change of use as regards a building is deemed to take place.
According to the Irish government, the document also “update[s] fire safety requirements for non-dwelling houses, including the means of alert in case of fire, measures to reduce the spread of fire on the face of buildings, and requirements to provide information to building owners regarding the fire safety systems installed upon completion of building works.”
Italy
Amended Document – Legislative Decree 8 November 2021, n. 197 Transposition of Directive (EU) 2019/883, of the European Parliament and of the Council, of 17 April 2019, relating to port reception facilities for the delivery of waste from ships amending Directive 2010/65/EU and repealing Directive 2000/59/EC
Amending Document – Legislative Decree 8 March 2024, n. 46 Supplementary and corrective provisions to the legislative decree of 8 November 2021, n. 197, transposing Directive (EU) 2019/883, of the European Parliament and of the Council, of 17 April 2019, relating to port reception facilities for the delivery of waste from ships, which amends Directive 2010/65/EU and repeals Directive 2000/59/EC
First Effective Date: 23 April 2024
Industry Sector: General Industry, Water Transportation
The changes to this document notably:
- update certain definitions, such as including the sediment in the scope of ship waste;
- allow managers of the installations to sign specific agreements with ship owners and collective and individual waste management systems;
- require port facilities to comply with rules on health, prevention, protection, training, workplace safety, as well as fire prevention and any other risks related to the activity carried out; and
- clarify that the advance notification of waste must be sent to the maritime authority.
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