British Columbia’s benzene consultation closed with existing limits retained

October 7, 2026

British Columbia’s separate consultation on a revised benzene exposure limit closed on July 31, 2026. The consultation page proposes a 0.2 ppm eight-hour time-weighted average and withdrawal of the existing 15-minute short-term limit. It states that existing limits continue until the Board makes an adoption decision.

The current WorkSafeBC policy table, effective September 3, 2026, still lists benzene at 0.5 ppm as an eight-hour time-weighted average and 2.5 ppm as a 15-minute short-term limit. The proposed 0.2 ppm value should remain identified as a proposal in an employer’s register.

APT’s benzene review record links the older consultation outcome and provincial review framework. The July 2026 consultation adds a later milestone to that earlier account; its closure establishes no replacement compliance date.

Preserve the proposed and operative entries

APT’s practical interpretation is to keep the consultation proposal in the regulatory watch list while retaining the verified operative values in workplace assessment records. That allows a later Board decision to be compared with the proposal without treating consultation closure as adoption.

The Board’s current decision index was also searched for benzene; no adoption entry was found in that scoped check. This report covers the WorkSafeBC regime. A mine or federally regulated workplace needs its own applicable exposure-limit source.

For related developments, consult the industrial hygiene regulatory tracker.