Businesses are being reminded this week that there are only three weeks to go before they face a "mandatory obligation" to register their use of chemicals.
Background:Legislation for enforcing REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) has now been laid before Parliament and will come into force when the pre-registration period ends on 1 December 2008.
REACH requires manufacturers and importers of all chemicals on the EU
market in quantities of one tonne per year or more to be registered,
and to provide a set of information about the substance.
The main aim of REACH is to improve the protection of human health and
the environment through better and earlier identification of the
intrinsic properties of chemicals. It will make those who place
chemicals on the market responsible for providing this information and
passing it down the supply chain, so that the risks associated with
their use are managed properly. It will also enhance innovation in,
and the competitiveness of, European industry through the removal of
particularly hazardous substances and the need to replace them with
safer alternatives.
Preregistration ends December 1:The UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) said
businesses that pre-registering chemicals they manufactured or imported
would be allowed to take advantage of the phased registration deadlines
in REACH, meaning they may not have to register "in full" until June
2018. Pre-registration also would offer a chance to reduce registration costs.
It added that firms which failed to pre-register by 1 December could be
forced to stop importing or manufacturing until they had completed full
registrations for any of the chemicals concerned.
UK Environment Minister Huw Irranca-Davies said: “REACH is a welcome change in the way chemicals are controlled and how their use is managed throughout the EU.
“Businesses
must find out now whether REACH will affect them, as there are only
three weeks left before the end of the pre-registration period and the
start of enforcement.
“Even if you don’t think REACH
applies to your business, check to make sure of that – many businesses
rely on chemicals without realising it, and missing the
pre-registration deadline of 1 December will not help your businesses
meet legal requirements.”
Source: DEFRA
Related EVISA Resources
Brief summary: The role of elemental speciation in legislation Brief summary: REACH: Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals 
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last time modified: May 22, 2024
