Other key changes and developments

• A May 2020 House of Commons library briefing paper Brexit and chemicals regulation (REACH), sets out concerns about how chemical safety standards could be lowered in a UK-only chemicals regime post Brexit;

• The union-backed “Choked” campaign is calling on the HSE to halve the maximum legal exposure limit for respirable crystalline silica from 0.1 mg/m3 to 0.05 mg/m3, with a phased reduction to 0.025mg/m³;

• The Unite union called on the government to cut the asbestos exposure limit after a report by the think tank ResPublica set out how both workers and the public are being put at risk by inadequate UK rules;

• In a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court ruled that the Asbestos Victims Support Groups Forum UK (AVSGF UK) could access court documents used in a legal case against asbestos manufacturer Cape Intermediate Holdings Limited.