Hazard Rules: Nanomaterials, Radon, Thermal Stress

Summary#

The final rule titled Regulations Amending Certain Regulations Made Under the Canada Labour Code (SOR/2026-10) updates several workplace health and safety rules for federally regulated workplaces. It adds rules for engineered nanomaterials, heat and cold (thermal stress), non-solar ultraviolet radiation and radon; it also harmonizes record-keeping and air‑sampling rules. The regulations were registered January 30, 2026 and (except for one small change) come into force on the first anniversary of registration (January 30, 2027).

What it does#

• Updates the hazardous‑substances parts of five sets of federal workplace rules, including the Canada Occupational Health and Safety Regulations and sector‑specific rules for aviation, maritime, trains and oil & gas (now called the Oil and Gas Occupational Safety and Health Regulations).
• Introduces new, specific protections and duties:
  • Engineered nanomaterials: employers must follow CSA Standard Z12885 and have a qualified person set up controls and an inventory when engineered nanomaterials are present.
  • Thermal stress (heat and cold): employers must develop and implement procedures (monitoring, engineering and administrative controls, protective clothing, training and incident reporting).
  • Non-solar UV radiation: employees must be protected from UV in the 180 nm–400 nm range when exposure exceeds the limits in the ACGIH Threshold Limit Values (TLVs).
  • Radon: the workplace limit is aligned with Health Canada at 200 Bq/m3 (replaces the older 800 Bq/m3 limit in some rules).
• Clarifies and tightens air‑sampling and record rules:
  • Air samples must target the breathing zone and follow methods such as the NIOSH manuals and other referenced standards.
  • Employers must keep records of hazardous substances and air‑sampling results for 30 years.
• Updates which technical standards are referenced (for example, NFPA 77, Safety Codes for radiation, ANSI and ACGIH documents) and changes many static references to ambulatory references (follow the latest edition “as amended from time to time”).
• Adds and reclassifies some violations in the Administrative Monetary Penalties (Canada Labour Code) Regulations so new requirements can be enforced with penalties.

Who's affected#

• Employers and employees in federally regulated workplaces. That includes sectors such as air, rail, road and marine transport, pipelines, banks, telecommunications and broadcasting, postal and courier services, grain handling, uranium, Crown corporations and federal departments. First Nations band councils operating workplaces under federal jurisdiction are also affected.
• Some headline figures from the government analysis:
  • About 1.3 million employees work in federally regulated workplaces (the broader population covered by the Code).
  • The changes affecting thermal stress apply to roughly 52,000 workers (outdoor and indoor groups combined).
  • About 29,000 employees were estimated as potentially exposed to engineered nanomaterials.
  • Roughly 25,000 indoor workplaces may need radon testing over the next 20 years under the new approach.
  • The government estimates total costs of $71.9M (present value) over 20 years, total benefits of $91.5M, and a net present benefit of $19.6M.
• Small businesses in affected sectors will bear some of the compliance costs. The regulations do not create different rules for small firms.

Why it matters#

• Better protection for workers from newer or previously unregulated hazards. The rules cover risks that have become more visible in recent years: very small engineered particles, extreme heat or cold at work, non‑solar UV sources (for example from welding or certain lamps), and radon gas in buildings.
• Employers will need to do more: testing (for radon and air contaminants), new record keeping (kept for 30 years), training, monitoring and written procedures. That means upfront and ongoing costs, but the government’s analysis projects net public benefits.
• Radon alignment with Health Canada (limit 200 Bq/m3) may reduce long‑term lung‑cancer risk. The analysis estimates about 9.5 cases of lung cancer could be avoided over 20 years because of the lower workplace limit.
• Clearer sampling and record rules aim to reduce bad or unusable tests and make it easier to investigate long‑latency illnesses years later.
• The regulations reference up‑to‑date technical standards and make many references ambulatory so workplaces are expected to follow current best practice without frequent regulatory edits.
• Enforcement will continue under existing inspection and penalty systems, with some new violations added to the penalty schedule.