The prevention of occupational risks relies on a regulatory framework that is constantly evolving. In 2026, several texts modify employers’ obligations regarding occupational health, safety, and risk assessment. Three significant developments deserve close attention: the postponement of the prevention passport, the overhaul of the Occupational Health Plan, and the integration of climate risk into the single document.
Climate risk and DUERP: what PST5 changes concretely
The Occupational Health Plan 2026-2030, known as PST5, was presented by the Ministry of Labor on June 5, 2026. This national roadmap sets the priorities for occupational risk prevention for the next five years.
Its main novelty lies in the explicit integration of climate risk into risk assessment. Extreme heat, heatwaves, and extreme weather conditions: these factors must now be included in the DUERP (single document for occupational risk assessment). This is no longer a recommendation; it is a structural axis of the national plan.
Specifically, PST5 provides for the adaptation of buildings, equipment, and work organization. Employers are encouraged to review schedules, breaks, the use of telework, or the suspension of certain activities during periods of extreme heat. For sectors such as construction, agriculture, or logistics, this implies rethinking practices established for decades.
Among the topics covered by Blueprint For Safety news, this connection between climate and working conditions illustrates the convergence between professional prevention and environmental issues.
PST5 also mentions artificial intelligence as a new risk factor to be assessed, without yet detailing the practical modalities. The idea is to anticipate the effects of automation on mental load and job organization.
Prevention passport: postponed to January 1, 2027, and transitional obligations
The prevention passport is a digital tool designed to centralize training certificates in occupational health and safety. Its full deployment has been postponed.
Decree No. 2026-496 of June 12, 2026, published in the Official Journal the following day, postponed the end of the transitional period to January 1, 2027. Many online sources still mention a deadline of October 1, 2026, which is now incorrect.
What employers must declare before the end of 2026
Until December 31, 2026, the reporting obligations remain limited to two categories of training:
- Mandatory training directly regulated (electrical certifications, CACES, working at heights, for example)
- Training necessary to hold a position requiring specific authorization or certification
- The other two categories of training provided by the system will only be required starting in 2027
This two-phase schedule allows companies to gradually structure their reporting. Very small enterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises, often less equipped, have a few extra months to comply without rushing.
Prevention of sexist and sexual violence at work: the new obligations envisaged
A proposed law aimed at providing a comprehensive response to sexual and sexist violence has been rewritten following recommendations from the Council of State. Its work-related section is substantial.
Among the measures proposed: the employer’s investigation becomes mandatory in the event of a report of sexual or sexist violence. The text also provides for new negotiation obligations for companies, the extension of the presence of a dedicated violence referent, and the creation of a specific leave for victims of sexual violence.
Harassment referent and mandatory negotiation
The harassment referent, already mandatory in companies with more than 250 employees and within the CSE, would see its scope expanded. The proposed law aims to make its presence systematic in a larger number of structures.
The obligation to negotiate on the prevention of violence would be added to the themes already covered by mandatory negotiation in companies. This is not a mere cosmetic addition: it involves formalizing commitments, defining indicators, and monitoring their implementation over time.
Prevention of cardiovascular diseases and occupational health law
A new law published at the end of August 2026 aims to strengthen the prevention of cardio-neurovascular diseases in the workplace. These conditions remain one of the leading causes of mortality in France, and their link with working conditions (sedentary lifestyle, stress, irregular hours) is documented.
The text provides for screening and awareness measures integrated into occupational health visits. Occupational health and safety services are entrusted with an expanded role in identifying cardiovascular risk factors related to professional activity.
- Integration of cardiovascular risk into medical follow-up protocols
- Mandatory awareness for identified risk positions (night work, prolonged sedentary positions)
- Enhanced coordination between occupational medicine and general medicine
This law is part of a primary prevention approach: acting before the onset of disease, targeting working conditions themselves rather than just individual behaviors.
The year 2026 marks a turning point in how labor law integrates risks long considered external to the job: climate, violence, chronic pathologies. The DUERP becomes the central document of this convergence, and its regular updating is no longer an administrative formality but a full-fledged management tool.
