The result: misidentified obligations, invisible non-conformities… until they become critical.

Based on a checklist we created at Novallia: “7 questions to assess your regulatory watch and compliance system”, we offer you this practical checklist to assess the maturity of your regulatory watch and identify priority areas for improvement.

What is a regulatory watch (definition)

The regulatory watch consists of :

• identify the texts applicable to a company,
• follow their evolution,
• translate these texts into operational requirements,
• assess the level of compliance,
• manage the actions required to eliminate non-conformities, i.e. to restore compliance.

Effective regulatory intelligence is more than just gathering information.
👉 It is a complete system for monitoring regulatory compliance.

1. Clearly defined responsibility

Who manages your regulatory watch? Without an identified manager :

• obligations are poorly followed,
• decisions are not traced,
• responsibility becomes blurred in the event of an inspection.

A reliable system is based on :

• a designated manager,
• a clear perimeter,
• coordination with operational teams.

2. Comprehensive coverage of activities, sites and facilities

A regulatory watch must cover 100% of the company’s actual perimeter.

Frequent points of vigilance :

• new, non-integrated sites,
• business development,
• technical installations added.

Example: A regulatory text evolves and introduces new requirements applicable to an activity already in place. If this evolution is not detected or integrated into the monitoring process, the company continues to operate according to the old regulations, creating a non-conformity that remains invisible until a control or an audit.

3. Reliable sources and structured follow-up

A regulatory watch often relies on several sources:

• Journal Officiel,
• institutional sites (prefecture, etc.)
• reference organizations,
• specialized bases.

These sources must be identified, their frequency of consultation defined and their reliability guaranteed. Without this, the system becomes uncertain.

4. Turning texts into operational requirements

This is one of the most critical points.

A raw regulatory text cannot be used as is.
It must be transformed into :

• concrete requirements,
• understandable actions,
• verifiable criteria.

Best practices, what we implement at Novallia :

• breakdown into unit requirements,
• operational data sheets,
• direct link with field activities.

This is where the difference lies between a “theoretical” watch and a really useful one.

5. Formalize conformity assessment

A regulatory watch is only valuable if it can answer a simple question:
Are we compliant?

This assessment must be :

• formalized,
• argumented,
• historicized.

It is essential to be able to demonstrate :

on what basis a requirement is deemed compliant, what evidence is involved, what decisions have been made.

6. Link each non-conformity to an action plan

Identifying a non-conformity without addressing it is tantamount to accepting the risk.

An effective system must include :

• a structured action plan,
• one manager per action,
• a clear deadline,
• follow-up.

In practice, the regulatory watch, conformity assessment and action plan must function as an integrated system, not as isolated steps.

7. Be ready for an audit at any time

A good maturity indicator is simple: can you present your regulatory monitoring system to an auditor tomorrow?

This implies :

• a structured regulatory register,
• requirements,
• a decision history,
• accessible evidence.

Without traceability, even a real device can be considered insufficient.

Common mistakes in regulatory monitoring

• monitoring limited to information gathering,
• the absence of transformation into requirements,
• an incomplete perimeter,
• a non-formalized assessment,
• unfulfilled action plans,
• a non-auditable device.

Why structure your regulatory watch today?

A structured regulatory watch enables :

• secure operations,
• limit legal risks,
• save time during audits,
• effectively manage compliance.

It becomes a genuine risk management and operational management tool.

Conclusion: towards a structured regulatory watch with tools

If you’ve been able to answer these points in the affirmative, and with a concrete response in your organization: bravo! Your watch is mature and structured.

Faced with the growing complexity of regulations, many companies are moving from a traditional monitoring system to a structured one that incorporates :

• a regulatory register,
• a requirements base,
• a conformity assessment,
• action follow-up.

This approach makes compliance measurable, controllable and demonstrable.

FAQ – Regulatory watch and compliance

What’s the difference between regulatory watch and regulatory compliance?

👉 The regulatory watch consists in identifying and monitoring applicable texts.
👉 Regulatory compliance corresponds to the result: the fact of complying with these requirements.

Is a regulatory watch mandatory?

👉 It’s not always explicitly mandatory, but it’s essential to comply with the regulatory obligations applicable to an activity.

Can you outsource your regulatory watch?

👉 Yes. Many companies choose to outsource all or part of their regulatory monitoring in order to secure their system and gain in reliability.

Conclusion

If several of these points are not under control, your regulatory monitoring system is probably weak.

Structuring your watch doesn’t just mean keeping better track of legislation.
It means setting up a system capable of transforming regulations into concrete, monitored and demonstrable actions.

Contact us to find out how we can help you set up a reliable system!

How do you define regulatory watch?

Firstly, regulatory watch is an activity that consists in identifying, on a day-to-day basis, the legal texts applicable to an organization.
Secondly, it involves monitoring the evolution of these texts: new, amended or repealed texts.

Legislative production can be national, European or international. And the regulatory fields covered may be in the HSE field: Environment, Health & Safety, Energy, Food Safety, Transport, etc., but also other rights such as HR, Finance, Data Protection, Commercial, etc.

What do companies need in terms of regulatory intelligence?

Coping with regulatory pressure or anticipating change are often the challenges of setting up a structured regulatory watch.

The aim is to be informed in real time of regulatory changes specific to the company’s activity (and also in the event of a change in activity):

• new applicable text,
• modification of an existing text,
• repeal of a text,
• draft new text

CONFORMITY OR CONFORMITY ASSESSMENT

Mise en place d’une veille réglementaire automatique et centralisée puis évaluation de la conformité :

After monitoring, we define the process to be put in place to comply with these applicable legal requirements. This is called compliance.

The aim is to assess the conformity of installations, processes, infrastructures, etc. for each applicable requirement, and to rule on compliance.

The regulatory compliance audit is a tool for assessing a site’s compliance with the regulatory requirements applicable to it, as determined during the prior regulatory watch process.

The aim of a regulatory compliance audit is therefore to assess compliance or possible non-compliance with a requirement, and to propose corrective and improvement actions for the site concerned.

This assessment enables the company to better manage and steer all its activities in line with applicable regulatory requirements, and to be fully aware of its level of compliance with regulations, standards and Group requirements.

Companies’ compliance needs

Examine the Site’s compliance with applicable regulatory requirements.
In the event of non-compliance, Sites must be able to demonstrate that they have credible Action Plans in place to deal with inspections by the authorities or in the event of an accident.

What’s the practical application?

Regulatory monitoring and compliance are sometimes used as the basis for an HSE strategy, or for ISO 45001 and ISO 14001 audits. These two processes are essential to a sound HSE strategy, especially for industrial companies.

Use cases of our NV Compliance tool for regulatory monitoring and compliance

Biopharma use cases

Use cases in

To find out more about regulatory watch?

Comment réussir sa veille réglementaire en 5 étapes?

Comment bien choisir son outil de veille réglementaire

Compliance is first and foremost a risk management tool. It enables us to identify, assess and prevent the risks associated with non-compliance with laws, regulations and standards. Accurate risk mapping is essential for setting up an effective compliance program. This proactive approach helps companies avoid accidents/incidents, sanctions, financial losses and reputational damage.

– Know (and respect) laws and standards

The primary aim of compliance is to ensure that all applicable laws and regulations are observed. This includes not only national, federal, cantonal and municipal laws, but also international regulations that may apply to the company’s activities. Beyond the legal framework, Compliance also aims to promote and enforce compliance with selected international standards within the organization, thereby reinforcing its culture of integrity.

– Strengthen its image and reputation

In a world of fast-moving information, a company’s reputation is a precious asset. A breach of compliance can have disastrous consequences for brand image. By implementing a robust compliance management system, companies protect their reputation and strengthen the trust of their stakeholders: customers, investors, partners and employees.

– Improving overall performance

Contrary to popular belief, compliance is not just a constraint, but can be a genuine performance driver. By optimizing internal processes, reducing OHS and environmental risks and promoting transparency, legal compliance contributes to operational efficiency and long-term value creation.

What’s more, if you optimize your compliance, you’ll have more time for your field activities and team relationships!

– Provide a competitive advantage

A company recognized for its commitment to legal compliance enjoys a clear competitive advantage. It is perceived as a reliable and responsible partner, which can open up new business opportunities, particularly in highly regulated sectors and markets.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

Compliance is part of a broader approach to corporate social responsibility. It helps to demonstrate an organization’s commitment to ethical and sustainable practices, thereby meeting society’s growing expectations of responsible corporate behavior.

In this sense, Compliance is the cornerstone of CSR, because before imagining and implementing voluntary measures, every company must first respect the legal system in which it operates.

– To protect against sanctions

An important objective of compliance is to prevent the legal and financial sanctions that can result from non-compliance with regulations. These penalties can be extremely severe, even threatening the very survival of a company. Compliance acts as a protective shield against these risks.

According to the Director General of the International Labour Organization:
“It’s not just working conditions that have changed over time, but also the nature of health and safety risks. And this evolution will continue in the future. With all the transformative technological, demographic and environmental changes shaping a new world of work, it’s becoming more important than ever to anticipate new and emerging health and safety risks.”

Compliance is an essential and strategic element for companies, guaranteeing the legal and ethical conformity of their activities. More than simply applying the law, it embodies a culture of integrity and social responsibility, protecting a company’s reputation and performance. By promoting transparency and proactive risk management, compliance becomes a genuine lever for competitiveness and sustainability in an increasingly demanding economic environment.

Managing and developing a business without mastering the regulations is like driving a car without ever having read the Highway Code. Doable, but terribly risky!

Safety at work in France remains a major challenge for both companies and employees, with a strong legal obligation and considerable human and economic impact.

Safety at work, a daily challenge

Safety at work is not just a matter of complying with a series of administrative rules: it’s a real culture that needs to be established to protect employees’ physical and mental health.

According to the Ministry of Labour, each employer must

• inform and train employees about risks,
• propose appropriate measures and
• improve safety at high-risk workstations, thus guaranteeing better prevention.

In France, in 2023-2024, there will be 717,719 recognized workplace accidents, of which 555,803 will result in lost time, and 759 fatalities. The main causes were manual handling (48-53%), falls (27-32%) and the use of machinery, often linked to inadequate training or failure to follow instructions.

Work-related accidents: figures and trends

According to Assurance Maladie, the number of accidents at work is declining slightly (by 1.5% in 2023), but fatalities are on the rise, underlining the need to step up prevention. Occupational illnesses, including musculoskeletal disorders and mental illnesses, are also on the rise, leading to absenteeism and long-term disability.

Why prevention needs to be stepped up

Despite the legal obligation enshrined in the French Labor Code (Articles L. 4121-1 et seq.), many companies only measure safety after an incident has occurred. Yet it is essential to develop a proactive approach:

• involve employees in drawing up instructions,
• measure danger reports and promote internal dialogue.

What to do?

Awareness-raising, ongoing training and the monitoring of indicators (number of hazards reported, equipment inspected, improvements proposed) help to really improve safety in the workplace and create a serene environment.

Legal obligations and tools available

Regulations require every company to produce a single risk prevention document, which identifies, analyzes and prioritizes the risks present in the workplace. Consulting firms (but also health services) support companies in implementing concrete actions: employee training, awareness-raising, safety culture audits or equipment audits. Finally, an effective prevention policy and good communication help to avoid accidents, reduce absenteeism and associated costs, and improve productivity.

2025: More stringent regulatory requirements

July 2025

Since July 10, 2025, the French government has stepped up occupational risk prevention. In concrete terms :

• More powers for labor inspectors, who can punish breaches even without an accident.
• Generalization of penal transactions: uncorrected discrepancies can be very costly.
• In the event of a fatal accident, liability now extends to the entire chain (employer, principal, client).
• Enhanced cooperation between labor inspectorates and law enforcement agencies.
• Increased support for victims.

October 2025

The deadline of October 1, 2025 concerns a new occupational safety regulation: from this date, employees assigned to positions requiring driving authorization or electrical clearance will no longer be subject to the usual reinforced individual medical monitoring.

• Every 5 years, the employees concerned will have to obtain a medical certificate issued by the occupational physician, confirming that they are not contraindicated in driving or in carrying out their duties.
• The certificate must be presented to the employer, who must keep a copy for the duration of its validity.
• Old notices of suitability issued before the entry into force remain valid for 5 years from their date of issue.
• If the certificate is refused, a simplified procedure before the industrial tribunal (Conseil de prud’hommes) is available to settle the dispute.
• The aim of this measure is to redeploy the medical resources of occupational health services to workplaces presenting particular risks, and to strengthen primary prevention.

This deadline strengthens traceability and the organization of prevention for specific risk jobs, while reducing the medical monitoring requirements for certain employees.

Employer obligations

• Identify the positions concerned and inform employees of the new obligation.
• Ensure that the medical examination required to obtain the certificate is organized for employees concerned by October 1, 2025.
• Keep all certificates for their period of validity, and keep the list up to date.

Prevention is the key to averting risks upstream!

Some ideas for action

• ✅ Regular risk analysis
• ✅ Targeted and ongoing training
• ✅ Maintenance and documented checks
• ✅ Compliant equipment
• ✅ DUERP and PAPRICAT updated
• ✅ Medical follow-up and traceability of actions

How can Novallia help you?

With its regulatory watch and compliance service

Keep up to date with the latest occupational health and safety regulations!

Monitoring and regulatory compliance

With its consulting services

Diagnostic sécurité

Safety culture diagnosis

Occupational risk assessment

Chemical risk assessment

With training courses

• Understand occupational health and safety issues and apply regulations
• Chemical risk regulations
• Chemical risk training for personnel
• Acquire basic knowledge of chemical hazards

Official sources

• Decree no. 2025-355 of April 18, 2025, effective October 1, 2025.
• Information on reinforced individual follow-up: FNEDT, ACISMT, Ministry of Labor.

Additional sources and resources

• Ministry of Labour, Occupational Safety
• Assurance Maladie 2023 report
• Labour code and legal obligations
• INRS key figures
• Statistics on accident causes

Safety at work is everyone’s business, and it’s thanks to collective commitment, proactive prevention and compliance with legal obligations that we can create a safer, healthier working environment!

When it comes to regulations, the trend is not towards simplification, especially in Europe. Laws evolve and change very quickly, and have an impact not only on the country or group in which they are issued, but also on neighboring countries. In fact, the European Union produces regulations that not only influence the companies of its members, but also Switzerland, as well as countries outside the EU and Switzerland, such as African countries where international groups are based.

Today, the complexity of keeping up to date with all the latest regulations is prompting companies to entrust this task to trusted partners with expert regulatory teams and digital or software tools providing access to digitized text databases.

What should you consider when choosing your regulatory monitoring tool?

1. Customization

Not all companies have the same regulatory obligations. That’s why your regulatory monitoring tool should offer advanced customization options.

Make sure it allows you to filter the information according to your business sector, the areas you want to cover as well as the sub-areas (for example: in the environmental field, you can have the sub-area “air quality”), and your specific requirements (group requirements, or normative requirements).

Personalization comes at a price, so if you prefer standardized monitoring, you can save on this. Be careful, however, not to pass these savings on to the time spent sorting texts!

2. Regular updating of texts

Depending on the service provider, text updates may be more or less regular. This is something you need to bear in mind before committing yourself, as a quality regulatory watch relies on reliable sources and regular updates.

3. Smooth user access management

A good regulatory monitoring tool must offer access rights management adapted to each user. In particular, for an industrial group with multiple sites, employees must be able to access essential information easily, according to their level of responsibility. Some tools even allow you to set personalized alerts, so that each user only receives information relevant to him or her, such as action plans.

👉 Tip: your teams can change! If you have a solution that lets you register an unlimited number of users, your costs per user won’t change, and you won’t have to revise your contract with your service provider.

4. Text classification with explanation and search engine

An unsorted flow of regulatory information can quickly become unmanageable. Opt for a solution that clearly classifies and explains new obligations: new texts, amendments to texts or repealed texts.
Some tools offer expert-authored analyses, interactive FAQs and synthetic summaries. The aim is to help you save time by accessing the essentials effortlessly.

5. The ability to assess compliance

Knowing the regulations is the first step. To go further, you need to assess your company’s compliance and remedy any non-compliance. A comprehensive regulatory monitoring tool provides this functionality, as well as an action plan management module.

6. Direct contact with the experts

When faced with complex legal texts, it’s vital to have responsive support. Choose platforms that allow you to put your questions directly to specialists. Competent, available support makes all the difference when a regulation raises uncertainties. This feature comes at a price, but it’s essential if you are to manage your regulatory compliance with peace of mind.

7. The expertise and synergy of the teams behind the tool

Beyond functionality, the expertise of the team that powers and updates your tool is essential. Solutions developed by lawyers and engineers specialized in your sector will be much closer to your needs. Indeed, the combination of these two functions is a plus for industrial site management: on the one hand, perfect knowledge of the regulations, and on the other, perfect knowledge of how to apply these regulations.

Make the right choice today!

Don’t let regulatory complexity hold back your business. Opt for a regulatory monitoring tool tailored to your needs. At Novallia, we can offer you 2 regulatory monitoring tools: the comprehensive NV Compliance tool and our simple NV Legal text database tool.

NV Compliance is one of the best regulatory monitoring tools on the market and has all the qualities mentioned above:

• personalization
• regular updates and reliability
• unlimited user access: you only pay for the subscription, not for the number of connections
• a powerful search engine soon to be enhanced by AI
• a compliance module and an effective action plan module
• a high-performance hotline
• and last but not least: warm, coordinated human support

If you need personalized support: find out more about our solution and test it for free: write to us!

If you’d like to find out more and need a little more time to think before contacting us, take a look at our exclusive video presentation here.

Indeed, the fundamental need of any company, the basis of any strategy, should be: to comply with the legal/regulatory requirements that concern my activities or the place where I operate.

In other words:

• Know the laws applicable to your business or location
• Anticipating regulatory changes
• Keep up to date with any changes in regulations or activities
• Eventually, and for more and more companies, to meet the specifications of ISO 45001, 14001, 50001, 19443, etc. standards.

Equally important are the correlated needs:

• Reducing environmental and occupational risks
• Enhancing your image
• Save time on time-consuming tasks to enhance your expertise elsewhere
• Set up a structured system to ensure compliance

Can you cope with regulations on your own?

Of course, you can decide to take care of it yourself, but you’ll need to keep an eye on the following points:

• Time: this is an extremely time-consuming task! If you drink your coffee in the morning while reading the official gazette, that’s one thing, but you also need to find out about the environmental code, the latest developments in the health and safety at work code, possibly the new requirements of the Standards if your company is in the process of ISO certification, but also the Senegalese health code if your group has a subsidiary in Dakar… in short, once you’ve listed all the requirements applicable to your company… you’re only halfway there, because now you have to think about compliance.
• The multiplication of legislative sources: as mentioned above, depending on your situation, you may need to seek information from numerous sources… information is not readily available
• Human error: unfortunately, it’s easy to forget a text or a decree in the multiplicity of information. Then, if you do achieve compliance, you’ll need a tool for tracking compliance actions to eliminate non-compliance, and finally, you’ll need to submit a report proving your compliance rate to the supervisory authorities.

The benefits of a digitized regulatory monitoring and compliance system.

In 2010, we began the adventure of creating a SaaS-based tool for regulatory intelligence. So it’s been over 14 years since we became a credible player in what is now known as “LEGAL TECH”.

In fact, this know-how has been honed year after year to become our core business today.

It rests on three pillars:

• The expertise and high added value of our engineers and lawyers in the knowledge and understanding of laws, regulations, codes, decrees, etc. Expertise first in the European corpus: French and Belgian, European Union and Swiss, then African, with a collection of texts from Tunisia, Morocco, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Burkina Faso, etc. In 2025, Germany, Poland and Spain will join this fine collection.
• Efficient, intelligent structuring of text databases. An ergonomic tool begins with a structure and tree structure that meet the needs of the most demanding users. Years of experience have enabled us to refine this essential aspect, the basis on which we can then build a web application that takes into account all possible scenarios.
• Lastly, the user interface of a web application that can effectively respond to the tasks of HSE managers or site managers in charge of compliance. We’ve been managing the entire process, from specification to application development, since 2012. From the first version to the latest (NV Compliance and its NV Legal offshoot), our teams of developers ensure that we use the latest cutting-edge development technologies, while prioritizing speed and ergonomics, for an optimal user experience.

Other concrete benefits of an organized and efficient regulatory watch

• Accident reduction and safety prevention
• Preventing the risk of non-compliance: anticipating compliance deadlines and avoiding financial or administrative penalties
• Maintaining the company’s competitiveness and sustainability
• Brand image enhancement
• Data security through a complex hosting scheme

Adoption of a digitized regulatory watch system = a return on investment of less than 6 months!

For an industrial site of around 300 people, adopting a digital database system with Novallia’s expertise pays for itself in 6 months. Add to this the semi-automated follow-up of action plans, and you’ve got 2 X the time it takes to bring the site back into compliance.

Finally, HSE managers can extract all kinds of reports from the tool: the list of non-conformities at any given moment, the total percentage of compliance, future non-conformities, action plans in progress. In short, a set of consolidated reports and data to support actions and strategic decisions.

If this article has whetted your curiosity, you’ll certainly want to know more: contact us for a demonstration of our solution.

Since the European Union’s adoption of the Green Deal in 2019, legislators have produced several proposals stemming from this global agreement. The latest is the European Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR). For companies operating on the European Union market, which includes many Swiss companies, this is an opportunity to get ready to evaluate their production. In fact, it is essential for them to keep a close eye on the adoption of this regulation to prepare for these new requirements and avoid being left behind.

What’s it all about? What can we expect?

The aim of this text is to promote the sustainability of products by integrating environmental criteria right from the design stage. Adopted in 2009, Directive 2009/125/EC was initially limited to the eco-design of energy-related products. Then, in 2019, as part of the Green Pact for Europe, the European Commission undertook a complete revision of this directive, considerably extending its scope to all types of products. This revision is a crucial initiative for achieving the EU’s sustainability goals, in particular the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and the promotion of a circular economy.

Here are some key points of the new ESPR regulations:

1. Establishing a framework for eco-design requirements and communication to consumers: The regulations encourage manufacturers to design products that reduce their environmental impact throughout their life cycle, from production to disposal, by defining 16 specific areas that will be communicated to consumers.
2. Introduction of a digital passport for products: The Commission will issue specific texts for each product group, detailing the obligations for displaying ecodesign information to consumers.
3. Management of unsold consumer products: Regulations will prohibit the destruction of consumer products that have not been sold.

In short, ESPR regulations are designed to encourage the design and manufacture of sustainable products, while raising consumer awareness of the environmental impact of the products they buy. This contributes to the transition towards a more environmentally-friendly economy.

Why and how to prepare?

ESPR applies to all products placed on the European market, which has an impact on Swiss companies, whether large groups, international companies with subsidiaries on both sides of the Atlantic, or suppliers to these companies, most often SMEs.

In fact, in this text, companies are urged to raise awareness of the implications of ESPR among their supply and value chain actors, in order to promote a collaborative and coordinated approach to ensuring compliance and sustainability throughout the supply chain.

How to prepare:

👉 Anticipating legal compliance

Novallia’s NV COMPLIANCE service promises to help you anticipate legal changes with peace of mind. Thanks to a database of texts and the use of a web application (which digitalizes the process), companies receive all European directives as soon as they come into force. This European news gives them a global view of the market and a prefiguration of the laws that may be proposed to the Federal Council. The NV Compliance application then provides the federal laws (cantonal and communal) resulting from the legislative movements of the European Union. What’s more, thanks to extremely precise management of action plans, organizations can integrate these texts and their requirements into their processes, assess their compliance and prove their work through the production of reports and histories.

👉 Prepare strategic and operational actions

Once the regulations have been integrated, it’s time to prepare for these changes at operational level! To this end, our partner Earth Action offers Life Cycle Analyses at different levels. Depending on the maturity of your approach to product design, Earth Action offers 4 types of analysis

• Screening: a preliminary life-cycle analysis designed to provide an initial estimate of the impact and critical points of your product or service, or to compare it with competing products on the market.
• A Complete LCA: in line with ISO 14044, this comprehensive analysis details the impact of products and services and produces an ISO-compliant report.
• Lifecycle Analysis assistance: for companies wishing to carry out this process in-house, Earth Action provides expertise and tools for calculating impact and studying different eco-design scenarios.
• Scalable CVA: A large-scale, customized service to industrialize the process. The impacts of a wide range of products or services are calculated, and the tools developed specifically for each company make it possible to progressively internalize the analyses.

Conclusion

The new ESPR regulations offer a unique opportunity for Swiss companies to position themselves as forerunners in sustainable innovation. By integrating eco-design criteria and associated regulations now, you can not only reduce your environmental impact, but also prepare for the demands of the European market and seize new economic opportunities.

Contact us today to find out how we can help you implement effective eco-design strategies and ensure the compliance of your products on the European market.

What is HSE regulatory monitoring and why is it important?

HSE regulatory watch involves monitoring and tracking changes in the laws, regulations and standards that impact a company’s activities. Its importance lies in several factors:

• Anticipating change: regulatory watch enables companies to anticipate upcoming changes in the regulatory field and take proactive measures to comply with new requirements.
• Reduce the risk of non-compliance: By identifying and understanding applicable regulatory requirements, companies can avoid the risk of non-compliance. Non-compliance which can result in fines, sanctions or reputational damage.
• Maintaining competitiveness: Regulatory compliance has become an increasingly important criterion for customers, investors and business partners. By maintaining compliance, companies reinforce their credibility and competitiveness in the marketplace.

👉 What’s more, when it comes to certification to ISO or other standards, regulatory watch as a formalized process is mandatory! In order to manage, in particular, conformity assessment. The following chapters illustrate this obligation:

• For ISO 14001: chapters 4.2; 4.3, 6.1.1, 6.1.3, 6.1.4, 9.1.2, 9.3
• For ISO 50001: chapters 4.2; 4.3, 5.2, 6.1.2, 6.2.2, 8.1, 9.1.2, 9.3
• For ‍Norm ISO 45001: chapters 4.2; 4.3, 5.1, 5.2, 6.1.1, 6.1.2.3, 6.1.3, 6.1.4, 7.3, 7.4.1, 8.1.3, 9.1.2, 9.2.1, 9.3
• But also in the MASE (Manuel d’Amélioration Sécurité Entreprise) standard, we find this sentence: One of the essential principles of the “Health, Safety and Environment Policy” must be to : “be aware of regulations, apply them and verify their application.”

The key phases of an effective regulatory watch

An effective regulatory watch requires a methodical, well-structured approach. The different phases of the regulatory watch will be developed according to your needs and objectives. The most important points for an effective approach are, of course, thoroughness and completeness!

Need n°1: Project framing and the right questions to ask

Whether you carry out your regulatory watch project in-house or choose to outsource it (in particular with Novallia, see the steps here), you need to set a framework for your project. Try to answer the following questions: What are the objectives? What are the expected results? What are they for? Is this a requirement of the ISO 14001 or ISO 45001 international standards? Who will be the project manager? And who will be responsible for internal compliance? Who will be the link between the company and the external service provider? Who will be the stakeholders? How much time and budget will you allocate to the project?

Need n°2: Information sources

In the second phase, you need to collect information by selecting sources. Not all sources are worth keeping. Select the most relevant and reliable sources of information for monitoring regulatory developments. These may include government sites, official publications, trade journals, etc. 👉 Caution: Check the completeness of the data! The main difficulty is monitoring and completeness. You need to monitor regularly – at least once a month – for updates and changes in regulations. Make sure you keep track of all the sources of information you use.

Requirement 3: Text selection

This involves identifying the specific areas of regulation that are relevant to your business. These may include national, regional or cantonal (for Switzerland) regulations, sectoral or industrial standards, European environmental laws, as well as international standards such as ISO.

Requirement no. 4: draw up a regulatory register and organize texts.

Organize the data collected systematically: for example, you can organize texts by theme (Environment, Safety, etc.) and/or by sub-theme (Air quality, Transport, etc.) according to the theme required by your organization. * This is what we implement in our web-based NV compliance monitoring tool.

👉 Don’t forget to note the date the text was created and updated, so you’ll always have the latest version!

Need #5: Analyze texts and make requirements understandable

For your regulatory watch to be effective, you need to analyze each text to ensure that the regulatory requirements it sets out are understandable to all company stakeholders. This task calls for legal and technical skills that only specialized regulatory experts possess.

Need n° 6 : Make the regulatory watch project readable and accessible to all

The results of the regulatory or legal watch must be distributed to all those concerned. Make sure you have an organized, up-to-date document that can be consulted by all stakeholders.

The essential steps to bring your company into line with the selected requirements.

Once the regulatory register has been compiled and the requirements highlighted, it’s time to measure your organization’s compliance with these requirements.

To be efficient, you have to be rigorous!

• Conformity assessment: every requirement must be assessed!
• For each non-conformity, you’ll need to set up a corrective action plan. Based on the regulatory requirements identified, draw up an action plan to implement the measures needed to ensure the company’s compliance.
• Breakdown of action plans into tasks
• For each action plan, name a task manager and a date for completion of the action plan.

The role of managers and best practices

HSE or QHSE (Quality, Health, Safety, Environment) managers play a crucial role in supervising and coordinating regulatory monitoring. Here are the best practices for effective regulatory monitoring:

• Commitment and responsibility: the commitment of managers is essential to ensure the implementation and monitoring of regulatory watch.
• Coordination and communication: Ensure that regulatory information is communicated effectively to all those involved in compliance.
• Training and awareness: provide adequate training for employees – who need it – on the regulatory requirements relevant to their field of activity.
• Use of digital tools: Don’t hesitate to convince your management to invest in web-based tools for regulatory monitoring and compliance. These digital applications are specialized to automate and facilitate the regulatory monitoring process.

The contribution of digital tools to regulatory watch

Digital tools, such as web-based regulatory compliance management applications (like NV Compliance), can greatly facilitate the monitoring process. These tools offer several advantages, including

• Automatic text updates in the application & real-time monitoring of regulatory changes
• Centralizing and organizing information
• Generate customized reports

By investing in specialized digital tools, companies can optimize their regulatory monitoring process and guarantee ongoing compliance with current standards and regulations.

Conclusion

Regulatory intelligence is an essential element of risk and compliance management for companies operating in regulated environments. By following a methodical approach and using the right tools, companies can anticipate regulatory changes, reduce the risk of non-compliance and maintain their competitiveness in the marketplace. If they also invest in specialized digital tools, they improve their monitoring processes, and gain in efficiency and time to ensure ongoing compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.