HSE
Chemicals often have harmful properties. Adverse effects may be caused to people or the environment. As a result, a number of countries have developed laws that require information to be prepared and transmitted to those using chemicals. Once users have information about the chemicals, they can then select appropriate protective measures for both themselves and the environment.
Because there is a global trade in chemicals, and to improve the levels of protection for workers and the environment across the world, the UN decided to set up a globally harmonised system that would provide:
All EU Member States signed up to the recommendations of the 2002 UN World Summit on sustainable development in Johannesburg, which included the implementation plan to have the GHS operational on a global scale in 2008. As the classification and labelling of chemicals is already regulated at European level rather than the national level, the Member States called on the European Commission to come forward with a proposal to implement the GHS in the EU.
The European Commission published a formal draft Regulation on Classification, Labelling and Packaging of Substances and Mixtures (based on the UN Globally Harmonised System), on 27 June 2007. HSE, in consultation with other interested UK Departments, led for UK Government during Member State negotiations. The European Parliament voted to secure a First Reading Deal on the Regulation on 3rd September 2008.
The Regulation (known as the ‘CLP’ Regulation) was published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 31st December 2008, and entered into force on 20th January 2009. The Regulation is directly acting in all EU Member States and requires no national transposition.
However, the requirements of the Regulation for classification, labelling and packaging do not become mandatory until 1st December 2010 for substances and 1st June 2015 for mixtures. This transitional period is intended to help suppliers and users of chemicals change from the current EU classification and labelling system to the new GHS-based system.
Adjustments are needed to the Chemicals (Hazard Information and Packaging for Supply) Regulations (known as CHIP) to introduce enforcement provisions for the CLP Regulation and to ensure that domestic law keeps up to date with the changes at EU level during the transitional period.
The new Chemicals (Hazard Information and Packaging for Supply) Regulations 2009 (SI No. 716/2009) came into force on 6 April 2009. The regulations are also known as CHIP 4.