{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,5]],"date-time":"2026-10-05T03:52:06Z","timestamp":1791172326295,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":28,"publisher":"Oxford University Press (OUP)","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,10]],"date-time":"2026-09-10T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1788998400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":15,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"European Partnership for the Assessment of Risks from Chemicals"},{"name":"European Union\u2019s Horizon Europe","award":["101057014"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["101057014"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,26]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>Occupational exposure limits (OELs) under occupational safety and health (OSH) legislation, and authorisation and restriction requirements under the chemicals regulation REACH, are the key regulatory tools for managing workplace chemical exposures in the EU. The present study examines how OELs and REACH requirements are interpreted and implemented at the workplace level, and how they impact workplace chemical safety. A mixed-methods study was conducted in Finland, Latvia, Norway, and Slovenia. An online survey targeted labor inspectors (n = 85), and company OSH managers (n = 323) in 3 sectors: chemical industry, metal industry, and motor vehicle maintenance and repair. In addition, semistructured interviews were conducted with labor inspectors (n = 19) and OSH experts (n = 30), including company and organization representatives and OSH service providers. Survey data were analyzed descriptively, and inductive content analysis was used for the interview data. Awareness of OELs and REACH requirements was reported as highly variable across workplaces in all participating countries, with larger companies higher in the supply chain demonstrating greater awareness and implementation capacity. Safety data sheets and chemical suppliers were the most frequently reported information sources. OELs were recognized as reference values for exposure and risk assessment, while REACH restrictions and authorisations were more often associated with discontinuation of substance use. Reported barriers to implementation included limited financial resources, insufficient competence in smaller companies, complex legislation, and weak supply chain communication. Positive examples included mandatory training obligations (eg diisocyanate restriction) and proactive inspection practices.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1093\/annweh\/wxag075","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,4]],"date-time":"2026-09-04T11:35:40Z","timestamp":1788521740000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Occupational exposure limits and REACH requirements in workplace risk management: perspectives of labor inspectors and OSH specialists"],"prefix":"10.1093","volume":"70","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1575-2371","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Piia","family":"Taxell","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Finnish Institute of Occupational Health , P.O. Box 40, 00032 Helsinki ,","place":["Finland"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Milja","family":"Koponen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Finnish Institute of Occupational Health , P.O. Box 40, 00032 Helsinki ,","place":["Finland"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Linda","family":"Schenk","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet , 17177 Stockholm ,","place":["Sweden"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Linda","family":"Paegle","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Occupational Safety and Environmental Health, Riga Stradi\u0146\u0161 University , Dzirciema iela 16, 1007 Riga ,","place":["Latvia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Linda","family":"Matis\u0101ne","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Occupational Safety and Environmental Health, Riga Stradi\u0146\u0161 University , Dzirciema iela 16, 1007 Riga ,","place":["Latvia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Susann","family":"Wolf","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"National Institute of Occupational Health , Pb 5330 Majorstuen, 0304 Oslo ,","place":["Norway"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Aurora","family":"Moen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"National Institute of Occupational Health , Pb 5330 Majorstuen, 0304 Oslo ,","place":["Norway"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Steen","family":"Mollerup","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"National Institute of Occupational Health , Pb 5330 Majorstuen, 0304 Oslo ,","place":["Norway"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Helge","family":"Johnsen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"National Institute of Occupational Health , Pb 5330 Majorstuen, 0304 Oslo ,","place":["Norway"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Davor","family":"Konti\u0107","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Environmental Sciences, Jo\u017eef Stefan Institute , Jamova 39, 1000 Ljubljana ,","place":["Slovenia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0008-6098-516X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jenni","family":"Kaisto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Finnish Institute of Occupational Health , P.O. 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