ChemRegs Newsletter – May 2018
11th ATP amends CLP
The European Commission (EC) has published an amendment to Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 on the classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures, the (CLP) Regulation.
The CLP Regulation is the current system of classification and labelling for the supply and use of chemicals in the EU and implements the internationally agreed UN Global Harmonised System on the classification and labelling of chemicals, known as the ‘GHS’. The GHS is updated, revised and improved every two years as needs arise and the current version is the 7th revision of the GHS that was published in 2017.
To ensure the CLP Regulation still follows the principles of GHS, and to allow for other changes such as scientific advances and data from accident databases, the CLP is revised by amendments known as Adaptations to Technical Progress (ATP).
The latest amendment to CLP is the 11th ATP, dated 18 April 2018 (Commission Regulation [EU] No 2018/669), and was published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 4 May 2018.
The 11th ATP has not added any new substances nor amended any classification and labelling criteria, but now includes the chemical names of the harmonised substances listed in Table 3 of Annex VI of CLP translated into 22 European languages.
Table 3 of Annex VI of CLP contains the list of harmonised classification and labelling of hazardous substances, that was previously only available in English for all language versions of the CLP. The table has been amended several times to reflect technical and scientific progress, by adding, deleting or modifying substances or their classification.
The 11th ATP to CLP introduces formal translations of these chemical names and suppliers will need to revise the labelling and packaging of their substances and mixtures to ensure that the new formal translations are used for the EU language versions.
To give suppliers sufficient time to adapt the labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures to the new translation provisions, and to sell existing stocks, the 11th ATP will apply from 1 December 2019. However, suppliers may choose to implement it before then.
It is advised that suppliers review their inventories of chemical substances imported, used or manufactured in the EU to ensure that the correct chemical name translations are used.
Other News
Ireland’s Health and Safety Authority launches Brexit webpages
The Irish Health and Safety Authority (HSA) has launched webpages to keep businesses informed of the potential impacts of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU (Brexit).
The impacts of Brexit are anticipated on key policy and operational areas of the HSA and as a result they have established an internal committee to ensure that they are prepared for the UK’s withdrawal from the EU and that Irish stakeholders and businesses have the relevant information to assist them with their preparations.
The HSA are urging Irish chemical companies to start considering potential impacts of the UK withdrawal on their business as they may face new and different UK rules on the import and use of chemical substances and they may also need to review their supply chains involving their UK-based business partners.
In addition, economic operators who source products for use or distribution from the UK and companies who rely on UK based product conformity assessment bodies should acquaint themselves with the potential implications for their business.
The webpages dedicated to Brexit includes information about:
- REACH and CLP
- Export/Import Regulation
- Accreditation to international standards
- Market Surveillance – Industrial and Consumer Products
- Further information (links to other websites)
Further information is available at http://www.hsa.ie/eng/Topics/Brexit/
4th Version of CLP Labelling Guidance
The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has submitted a draft revision to a Partner Expert Group (PEG) for consultation on an update of the guidance document on labelling and packaging under CLP. The PEG is composed of experts from the various stakeholders and institutional interested parties.
The current guidance (v3.0) was published in July 2017 and the new version (v4.0) will be a full revision.
Main changes in the guidance document include the following:
- Alignment with Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/542, which amends the CLP Regulation by adding an Annex on harmonised information relating to emergency health response;
- Addition of a new section 6.2 describing the labelling of multi-component products with label examples;
- Deletion of the outdated paragraph “Limited derogation for re-labelling and re-packaging” in Section 2.4 and deletion of outdated section 3.4 on the “Differences between CLP and DSD/DPD labelling rules”;
- Editorial changes and reformatting of the document;
- “Preamble” renamed “Preface” and moved before the table of contents;
- Update of broken and outdated hyperlinks;
- Renumbering of tables and figures.
The publication of the new 4th version is expected later in 2018.
LIVE – ECHA Media briefing on 1 June 2018
ECHA is to host a media briefing on 1 June 2018 focusing on the 10-year REACH registration journey for existing chemicals.
Christel Musset, Director of Registration, and Bjorn Hansen, ECHA’s Executive Director, will summarise the achievements and explain what happens next in ensuring the protection of EU citizens and the environment from the harmful effects of chemicals.
Live streaming starts at 11.00 CEST (12:00 Helsinki time)
Agenda
11.00 – 11.50 Safer chemicals in Europe – what has been achieved and what’s next after the completion of substance registration
To watch, click on the ‘Play’ button at https://platform.goodmood.fi/goodmood/echa/live
For more information on anything in this Newsletter, please contact us at info@chemregs.co.uk