Process Safety Management

China Launches 2026 National "Safety Production Month" Campaign

China’s work safety authorities have launched the 2026 National “Safety Production Month” campaign for June, combining nationwide risk‑hazard inspections, safety outreach and a 16 June publicity day in Hefei while a draft standard on major accident hazard criteria for fireworks remains open for consultation until mid‑June. This signals intensified enforcement and cultural emphasis on work safety across high‑risk sectors, and gives fireworks producers a short window to help shape binding hazard‑determination rules and align their internal safety programmes.

25 May 2026, 15:38mem.gov.cnChina

Slovakia Adopts Government Regulation 90/2026 Amending ATEX Equipment Rules for Internal Market Emergencies

Slovakia has adopted Government Regulation 90/2026, amending its ATEX equipment rules to introduce emergency conformity assessment and market-surveillance procedures for crisis-designated products, effective 30 May 2026. Manufacturers, notified bodies and market-surveillance authorities for ATEX equipment in Slovakia should prepare to prioritise crisis-labelled products, adapt documentation for possible manufacturer self-declarations, and ensure processes can rapidly switch to the EU internal market emergency regime when triggered.

23 May 2026, 19:12slov-lex.skSlovakia

Argentina Adopts New Regulation on Transport of Liquid Hydrocarbons (RTHL)

Argentina’s Secretariat of Energy has adopted Resolution SE 119/2026, introducing a new Regulation for the Transport of Liquid Hydrocarbons (RTHL) for interprovincial and import/export pipelines from May 2026. Pipeline operators and hydrocarbon producers will need to align design, operation and integrity management of existing and planned assets with updated international standards, potentially triggering reviews of projects, authorisations and investment plans.

23 May 2026, 11:13cda.org.arArgentina

HSE Fines Glasgow Biomass Company £129,000 After Worker Loses Fingers in Machinery Incident

In May 2026, Britain’s Health and Safety Executive reported that Glasgow-based SMW Limited was fined £129,000 after a worker at its Daldowie fuel plant lost parts of three fingers while clearing a poorly guarded rotary lock valve. The case signals continued enforcement focus on physical safeguards and reliable isolation procedures for dangerous machinery, raising risk for operators who rely on radio communication and procedural controls instead of fixed guarding.

23 May 2026, 09:12press.hse.gov.ukUnited Kingdom

China MEM Consults On Mandatory Industry Safety Standards For Fireworks Retail Stores And Internal Transport

China’s Ministry of Emergency Management has opened a consultation on two draft mandatory industry safety standards for fireworks retail outlets and internal use of electric vehicles transporting hazardous goods, with comments due by mid-July 2026. Fireworks manufacturers and retailers operating in China should review these drafts now, as the final standards are likely to set binding technical baselines for store layouts, equipment and internal logistics safety planning.

23 May 2026, 08:56mem.gov.cnChina

California Senate Refers AB 2776 (Hazardous Materials: Storage Tanks) to Environmental Quality Committee

California’s AB 2776, a bill to amend multiple Health and Safety Code provisions on hazardous materials storage tanks, has been referred to the Senate Environmental Quality Committee as of May 2026. This keeps the measure moving through the legislature; operators handling hazardous materials in California should monitor committee deliberations and potential amendments that could tighten storage and reporting requirements.

23 May 2026, 08:55leginfo.legislature.ca.govUnited States

Gerechtshof ’s-Hertogenbosch Convicts Manager for BRZO Safety Violations and Ignoring Inspectie SZW Stop Order

In May 2026 the Court of Appeal in ’s‑Hertogenbosch convicted the de facto manager of a Dutch BRZO chemical site for years of breaching Seveso‑related safety duties and ignoring an Inspectie SZW stop order, imposing a suspended prison sentence and a substantial community service order. This ruling clarifies that Dutch managers at major‑hazard installations can face personal criminal sanctions if they continue high‑risk operations with non‑ATEX equipment or bypass Management of Change and hazard‑study requirements, reinforcing the need for strict adherence to BRZO and labour‑safety controls.

22 May 2026, 16:45deeplink.rechtspraak.nlNetherlands

South Korea NICS Consults on Draft Amendment to Specific Handling Standards for Hazardous Chemicals (Notice 2026-42)

In May 2026, South Korea’s National Institute of Chemical Safety issued Administrative Notice 2026-42 to consult on a draft amendment to its regulation on specific handling standards for hazardous chemicals. Operators handling hazardous chemicals in Korea should anticipate potential changes to facility-level handling and safety requirements and review the forthcoming draft text and comment period to plan any necessary updates to site compliance programmes.

21 May 2026, 08:55nics.mcee.go.krSouth Korea

Hong Kong Plans Hydrogen Safety Subsidiary Legislation Under Gas Safety (Amendment) Ordinance 2025

Hong Kong has confirmed that hydrogen used as fuel will be brought under the Gas Safety Ordinance via the Gas Safety (Amendment) Ordinance 2025, with hydrogen-specific subsidiary legislation to be introduced into the Legislative Council for negative vetting within 2026. This sets a clear timeline for a dedicated hydrogen safety regime and related certification standards, signalling upcoming compliance requirements for hydrogen production, transport, storage, refuelling infrastructure and vehicles in Hong Kong and influencing cross-boundary hydrogen projects and green finance.

20 May 2026, 19:18info.gov.hkHong Kong SAR ChinaChinaSouth Korea

California Assembly Advances AB 2711 on Oil and Gas Notice of Intention to Third Reading

In May 2026, the California Assembly amended and advanced AB 2711, a bill to change approval timelines and conditions for notices of intention to drill oil and gas wells under the state’s Public Resources Code. If enacted, this would lengthen regulatory review windows, constrain automatic approvals, and require operators to adjust drilling schedules and compliance planning around a 30-day review period and a 24-month post-approval expiry.

20 May 2026, 17:54leginfo.legislature.ca.govUnited States

Norway Havtil Concludes Oseberg H/Island Clipper Loss Of Gangway Investigation

In May 2026, Norway’s offshore safety regulator Havtil published its final investigation into two 2025 loss-of-gangway incidents between the Oseberg H platform and the service vessel Island Clipper, identifying multiple breaches of key offshore safety regulations. Equinor and Island Offshore must now remedy deficiencies in risk assessment, communication, training and maintenance, with formal responses due by 29 May 2026, signalling heightened scrutiny of walk-to-work evacuation reliability and contractor oversight in Norwegian offshore operations.

20 May 2026, 17:52havtil.noNorway

Norway: Havtil Issues Orders to Equinor After Deepsea Bollsta Well-Control Incident on Troll Field

In May 2026, Norway’s offshore safety regulator Havtil published its investigation into a 2025 well-control incident on Equinor’s Deepsea Bollsta rig on the Troll field and issued a binding order to remedy serious management and barrier failures. Equinor must review and strengthen its risk management, technology qualification and barrier controls for workover and permanent plug-and-abandonment operations and deliver a time-bound corrective action plan to Havtil by 17 September 2026, raising expectations for well integrity and major accident prevention across the Norwegian continental shelf.

20 May 2026, 17:52havtil.noNorway

Gerechtshof 's-Hertogenbosch Orders Confiscation For Violating Flammable-Liquids Stop Order

In May 2026, the Gerechtshof ’s-Hertogenbosch ordered a Dutch chemical producer to surrender €171,866 in unlawful gains for continuing high-risk flammable-liquid operations in breach of an Inspectie SZW stop order. The judgment reinforces the financial and criminal exposure for operators who ignore occupational safety and environmental orders, signalling stricter oversight of process safety for plants handling flammable chemicals.

20 May 2026, 07:13deeplink.rechtspraak.nlNetherlands

Netherlands: State Supervision of Mines Issues 2025 Safety Progress Report on Former Groningen Gas Field

The Dutch State Supervision of Mines’ 2025 report on the former Groningen gas field finds that, despite reduced seismicity and more buildings being reinforced, thousands of addresses remain unsafe, the strengthening programme is slipping towards 2030–2032, and long-term monitoring, decommissioning and nazorg will be needed for decades. For operators, contractors and authorities involved in Groningen-related assets this does not create new legal duties today but confirms sustained regulatory scrutiny of building safety, decommissioning practices and data governance, and signals that Dutch mining and nazorg rules are more likely to tighten than to be relaxed.

20 May 2026, 07:09zoek.officielebekendmakingen.nlNetherlands

China Implements Fisheries Standard SC/T 8322-2025 On Ammonia Refrigeration Systems For Fishing Vessels

China has brought into effect fisheries industry standard SC/T 8322-2025, which defines technical requirements for ammonia–water absorption refrigeration and preservation systems on fishing vessels, as part of a wider batch of 2025 fisheries standards filed on 15 May 2026. This sets a clearer design and operational benchmark for ammonia-based refrigeration and related fishing and aquaculture infrastructure in the Chinese market, so vessel builders and equipment suppliers should check that systems conform to the new standard.

18 May 2026, 13:24hbba.sacinfo.org.cnChina

New Jersey Assembly Bill A5083 Proposes Expanded Skilled Workforce Requirements for High-Hazard Industrial Facilities

In May 2026, New Jersey Assembly Bill A5083 was introduced to expand existing “skilled and trained workforce” requirements to a broader class of high-hazard industrial facilities that use hazardous chemicals or petroleum products and are covered by federal risk management and process safety rules. If enacted, contractors serving chemical plants, refineries, and other RMP/PSM-covered sites in New Jersey would need to use prevailing-wage, apprenticeship-based, safety-trained workforces for covered construction and maintenance work, raising compliance expectations for labour sourcing, training, and project planning.

18 May 2026, 13:23pub.njleg.state.nj.usUnited States

India BIS Consults On Draft Standards For Orthosiphon Root And Hydrogen Generators

In May 2026, the Bureau of Indian Standards opened public consultations on a new Indian Standard for Orthosiphon rubicundus root used in traditional medicine and a second revision of IS 16509 on safety requirements for hydrogen generators using water electrolysis. These drafts signal upcoming Indian specifications for herbal raw materials and hydrogen equipment that could shape quality controls, testing expectations, and certification conditions for suppliers to the Indian market, so impacted firms should review and consider commenting before the July 2026 deadline.

15 May 2026, 16:21standards.bis.gov.inIndia

HSE Fines Tetra Technologies UK £350,000 After Chemical Tank Collapse at Peterhead Base

In May 2026, the UK Health and Safety Executive fined Tetra Technologies UK Limited £350,000 after a corroded 700-tonne calcium chloride storage tank collapsed at its Peterhead offshore base, causing life-changing injuries to a contractor. The case underlines that operators of chemical storage and offshore supply facilities must rigorously inspect and maintain ageing tanks to meet Health and Safety at Work Act duties and avoid severe enforcement, operational disruption, and liability.

15 May 2026, 15:07press.hse.gov.ukUnited Kingdom

UK BCGA Issues 2026 Revisions To Oxy-Fuel Gas Equipment Guidance (TIS29 Rev 3 And CP7 Rev 10)

On 12 May 2026, the British Compressed Gases Association issued 2026 revisions to its TIS29 technical information sheet and Code of Practice 7 on the safe selection, assembly and use of oxy-fuel gas equipment. Companies using oxy-fuel gas equipment in the UK should review these updated industry standards against their procedures, training and maintenance regimes, as they are widely used as benchmarks by dutyholders and regulators.

15 May 2026, 13:36bcga.co.ukUnited Kingdom

Gansu Province Issues Opinions to Strengthen Enterprise Work Safety Responsibilities

Gansu’s provincial work safety committee has issued new Opinions detailing 24 measures to reinforce enterprise work safety responsibilities and prevent major accidents across the province as of mid-May 2026. This guidance operates under existing Chinese work safety laws but signals more intensive expectations for safety management, risk controls, and preparedness for inspections in Gansu-based operations.

15 May 2026, 13:26mem.gov.cnChina