The International Harmonization Council (IHC) convened for its 58th meeting on March 24–25, 2026, in Tokyo, Japan, bringing together regional industrial gas associations and global observers to review active projects, emerging technical issues, and future standardization priorities. Discussions throughout the meeting reflected the IHC’s continued focus on developing technically sound, globally relevant safety guidance while aligning work efforts with current industry needs.

Technical Discussion Highlights

Industry Leadership on Carbon Capture and Ammonia Safety Publications

The meeting reaffirmed the industry’s proactive leadership in addressing emerging technologies through harmonized safety guidance, particularly in the areas of carbon capture utilization and sequestration (CCUS) and ammonia. Building on prior gap analyses, the IHC noted the successful initiation of new joint working groups focused on CCUS cleanup, liquefaction, compression, and capture, as well as ammonia storage and cracking. These efforts demonstrate the industry’s ability to anticipate evolving technologies and develop coordinated safety publications that can be applied globally, positioning the industrial gas sector at the forefront of responsible energy transition support.

Coordinated Progress on Hydrogen Safety Standards

The IHC also reviewed progress across its portfolio of active hydrogen safety projects and reinforced the importance of close technical coordination among associations and participating companies. Discussions emphasized resolving technical questions through globally aligned positions, ensuring that emerging hydrogen standards reflect collective expertise and are applicable across regions. This emphasis on coordination and alignment enhances the technical credibility of the resulting publications and supports consistent implementation of hydrogen safety practices worldwide.

Streamlining the Process for Future Harmonized Publications

Another key outcome of Meeting No. 58 was the IHC’s focus on strengthening the technical foundations and processes that support high quality harmonized publications. The IHC agreed on updates to its work processes that allow greater use of electronic balloting during technical comment resolution, a change that is expected to improve efficiency while maintaining rigorous technical review. This forward looking adjustment reflects the IHC’s commitment to modernizing its standards development processes so that expert input can be captured more effectively across regions, supporting timely and technically robust outcomes.

The Value of Global Harmonization

Across all technical discussions, the value of global harmonization remained a unifying theme. Participants reaffirmed that harmonized standards reduce duplicative regional efforts, allow technical expertise to be pooled across associations, and help ensure that safety practices evolve consistently worldwide. The meeting also highlighted that harmonization plays a critical role in managing limited technical resources: developing a single, well-coordinated framework requires fewer total industry resources than maintaining multiple divergent standards. The IHC further recognized that continued industry engagement in harmonized work also helps ensure that industrial gas expertise informs external standardization efforts, rather than allowing those discussions to be driven without adequate industry input.

A Strong and Collaborative Technical Partnership

IHC Meeting No. 58 demonstrated the strength of collaboration among the participating associations, technical experts, and global observers. Open exchanges of technical perspectives and a shared commitment to safety integrity all reflect the maturity of the IHC process. As the IHC looks ahead to its next meeting in Europe, the associations remain well positioned to continue delivering technically sound, globally harmonized safety guidance that reflects both shared principles and regional realities.