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On Jun 25th, the amended Industrial Safety and Health Law (ISHL) was promulgated by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW).
According to the amendment, 640 substances subject to mandatory GHS-compliant SDS supply will now also require mandatory risk assessment. (See Fig.1) These new requirements have been triggered by a case involving printing workers who developed bile duct cancer. The workers were exposed to 1,2-dichloro propane which has been implicated as the primary causative factor in the pathology of the disease.
Figure 1 - Japan's expansion of mandatory risk assessment under the amended ISHL (partly adopted from MHLW announcement, and translated by ChemLinked)
The implementation details will be promulgated in cabinet order in 2 years.
Other major adjustments can be seen in the following aspects:
Stress management - Enterprises should organize physicians to check the stress level of staff, and offer stress management assistance
Passive smoking - Measures should be taken to minimize workforce exposure to second-hand smoke.
Publication of major and repeated industrial accidents - If enterprises are responsible for major industrial accidents and make no attempts to rectify the cause, their names will be published on the official gazette.
Inspection of major hazardous installations - Installations posing high risks to workers, e.g. boilers, are subject to registration and inspection by accredited agencies
Miscellaneous - New constructions and demolition projects should be notified to the authority in advance. Breathing apparatus should be supplied in workplaces and must meet relevant criteria set by the Minister of MHLW.
