Poland extends deadline for workplace hazard limits to 2029

Poland has extended by three years the deadline for employers to adapt to the maximum admissible concentrations and intensities of harmful agents in the working environment. The Minister of Family, Labour and Social Policy, Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bąk, signed the amending regulation on 11 September 2026, and it was published in Dziennik Ustaw of 15 September 2026 under item 1211.

The regulation shifts the compliance date from 21 August 2026 to 21 August 2029, giving employers additional time to bring workplace conditions in line with the binding occupational exposure limits.

Legal basis and scope

The measure amends the regulation of 12 June 2018 on the maximum admissible concentrations and intensities of harmful agents for health in the working environment (Dz.U. item 1286, as subsequently amended). It is issued on the basis of Article 228 § 3 of the Labour Code of 26 June 1974.

The change concerns § 4 of the 2018 regulation, replacing the words “by 21 August 2026” with “by 21 August 2029”. The regulation enters into force on the day of its publication, with retroactive effect from 22 August 2026.

What the extension means for employers

The original deadline of 21 August 2026 required employers to have completed the technical and organisational measures needed to comply with the revised exposure limits for harmful chemical, physical and biological agents.

• The new deadline of 21 August 2029 applies to the same adaptation obligations.
• The extension covers all sectors where the maximum admissible concentrations and intensities of harmful agents apply.
• Occupational health and safety (BHP) obligations remain in force during the transition period.

Impact on occupational safety

The postponement gives employers a longer window to plan and finance the investments required to reduce exposure to harmful agents, while workers’ protection standards remain governed by the existing framework. The measure reflects the practical difficulties of meeting the revised limits within the original timeframe.

Source: Dziennik Ustaw, 15 September 2026, item 1211 (official reference: Dz.U. 2026 poz. 1211).