Deadline for changes to EU chemicals legislation looming

Deadlines for recently introduced changes to EU chemicals legislation on hazard assessment and labelling are fast approaching but many SMEs may still be unaware of their obligations, according to Sypol, the provider of risk management services. To be compliant, companies will have to navigate this new, more complicated system.

Currently, all organisations in the UK must comply with the COSHH Regulations that requires employers to control substances that can harm worker's health.

The Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals Regulations (REACH) and the Classification, Labelling and Packaging of Substances and Mixtures (CLP) are two new sets of regulations which will change how chemicals are classified and labelled in the EU and how that information is transmitted to users.

The COSHH regulations will remain largely unchanged, however this new influx of information must now be considered in assessments of hazardous chemicals in the workplace. Although REACH and COSHH ultimately complement one another, their requirements overlap to some extent in terms of chemical control and this could lead to misunderstanding in the way they should be applied. The objectives of the REACH regulations are to enable better protection of human health and CLP is designed to introduce global continuity in the information provided to the workforce.

Employers will have to meet the requirements of both REACH and CLP, as well as considering the COSHH regulations.

To comply with CLP, any company manufacturing, importing or placing chemical substances on the market on or after the 1st December 2010 has one month, until the 3rd January 2011, to notify the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) of the classification and labelling of a substance.