France’s public health and safety agency Anses is finalizing research into the link between skin cancer and occupational UV exposure, aiming to secure recognition of a new occupational disease. This puts France behind neighbouring countries such as Germany, Switzerland and Belgium.
A French instruction dated 3 August 2026 requires 226 riverbed quarries to follow a standardized asbestos testing protocol, up from 16 previously. Sixty sites are prioritized, with a deadline of August 2027.
France studied Spain’s heat-at-work policy this week during a visit by Minister Farandou to Madrid — automatic adjustment of working hours, climate leave and stop-work authority for prevention officers stand out as key differences with France.
France is preparing a new occupational disease table that would allow lung cancer caused by exposure to crystalline silica to be recognised even without a silicosis diagnosis. An estimated 780,000 workers in the country are exposed to silica dust.
The International Organization for Standardization has published ISO 45010:2026, a standard providing guidance for employers to support employees experiencing menstruation- and menopause-related symptoms.