Recently, Japan promulgated the Enforcement Order for the Act on the Measurement of Workplace Environments, which will take effect on October 1, 2026. The Enforcement Order specifies that workplaces required to conduct working environment measurement under the Industrial Safety and Health Law shall be uniformly included in the scope of "designated workplaces" under the Working Environment Measurement Act. This means that relevant workplaces involving hazardous chemicals (such as factories) must, as required by law, carry out personal exposure (individual contact) measurement of their employees.
This Enforcement Order is a supporting implementation measure following Japan's legislative amendment in May 2025, when "personal exposure measurement" was recognized as a type of working environment measurement and a corresponding implementation obligation was newly established. The present Enforcement Order further delineates which workplaces must carry out the measurement.
Enterprises carrying out work involving hazardous chemicals in Japan are advised to promptly review the relevant laws and supporting requirements in light of whether their workplaces fall within the scope of the new regulation, and to make personal exposure measurement and compliance arrangements in advance.
