The Government reduces the occupational exposure limit for asbestos to 0.01 fibers

The Government has set the environmental limit value for daily asbestos exposure at 0.01 fibers per cubic centimeter through Royal Decree 847/2026, of October 21, published in the Official State Gazette (Boletín Oficial del Estado) no. 263, of October 23, 2026, in Section I (reference BOE-A-2026-22081). The regulation establishes the minimum health and safety provisions applicable to work with a risk of asbestos exposure and replaces the regulation in force since 2006. It enters into force the day following its publication, that is, October 24, 2026.

The text, promoted by the Ministry of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Courts, incorporates into Spanish Law Directive (EU) 2023/2668, of November 22, 2023, which amends Directive 2009/148/EC on the protection of workers from asbestos. The sole repealing provision nullifies Royal Decree 396/2006, of March 31, which regulated the matter until now, as well as any provisions of equal or lower rank that oppose the new text.

The royal decree consists of twenty-four articles grouped into four chapters, three additional provisions, four transitional provisions, one repealing provision, four final provisions, and seven annexes. Its scope covers the demolition, dismantling, removal, maintenance, and repair of materials containing asbestos, the transport and treatment of waste, authorized landfills, and the localization examinations of these materials.

A limit ten times more demanding

The regulation reduces the exposure threshold to 0.01 fibers per cubic centimeter as a weighted average over an eight-hour workday, compared to the 0.1 fibers per cubic centimeter set by Royal Decree 396/2006. This change necessitates a modification of the analysis methodology and the discarding of the one based on optical microscopy.

For measurement, only fibers with a length greater than 5 micrometers, a diameter less than 3 micrometers, and a length-to-diameter ratio greater than 3 will be counted, including those with a diameter less than 0.2 micrometers. The third transitional provision allows the continued application of the MTA/MA-051 method of the National Institute for Safety and Health at Work (INSST) until December 20, 2029.

The prohibition of activities that expose workers to asbestos fibers in the extraction, manufacture, and transformation of asbestos products is maintained, with the exception of the treatment and disposal of demolition and removal waste.

Priority removal and prior identification

Article 6 establishes that priority will be given to the orderly and safe removal of materials containing asbestos and their replacement with non-hazardous ones over any other form of handling. Exposure must be reduced to the lowest technically possible level below the new limit value.

Before starting demolition, maintenance, or rehabilitation work in premises built before the asbestos ban came into effect in Spain, companies must identify materials that may contain it. If information is not available, an examination by a qualified operator shall be mandatory, and the result must be reflected in the health and safety study provided for in Royal Decree 1627/1997.

Work plans, registration, and staff protection

• Work plan prior to each activity, with approval from the labor authority within 45 days and positive silence.
• Notification of the start of work at least seven business days in advance.
• Mandatory registration in the Registry of Companies with Asbestos Risk (RERA), valid for three renewable years and with a resolution within 45 days.
• Companies already registered will have six months from the entry into force to request renewal; failure to do so will result in deregistration.
• Use of respiratory protection equipment limited to a maximum of four hours per day, with fit checks after each placement and periodic quantitative tests.
• At least ten minutes for personal hygiene before each meal and another ten before leaving work.
• Mandatory theoretical and practical training according to Annex III, accredited by certificate, with specific reinforcement for demolition and removal.

Health surveillance and implementation schedule

Health surveillance shall be mandatory before the start of work and on a periodic basis, and shall be maintained through the National Health System for those who cease exposure due to retirement, change of company, or other causes, given the long latency period of the associated pathologies.

The formal recognition by the labor authority of the suitability of laboratories for qualitative analysis will enter into force six months after publication. The INSST must update the technical guide for risk assessment and prevention, and the Ministry of Labor and Social Economy may evaluate the model for work plans and RERA registration after eighteen months, with the participation of unions, employers’ associations, and autonomous communities.

The impact falls directly on construction, rehabilitation, and maintenance—sectors with staff exposed in old buildings. The combination of a limit ten times lower, the obligation to identify materials before intervening, and the renewal of the registry increases the documentary and technical requirements for companies, which must review their work plans and protection equipment in the coming months.

Source: Official State Gazette, no. 263, of October 23, 2026, Section I, page 141812 (official reference: BOE-A-2026-22081).