Health and Safety
Executive / Commission
Biocides &
pesticides
The Health and Safety Executive is the regulatory authority for all non-agricultural pesticides (public hygiene insecticides, wood preservatives, surface biocides, antifouling products, rodenticides etc.) under the Control of Pesticides Regulations 1986, and acts as the Competent Authority for biocides under the Biocidal Products Regulations 2001. The role of the biocides and pesticides unit (BPU) of HSE is to carry out the scientific evaluation and associated risk assessment of products.
This statement outlines the level and type of service we believe our clients deserve and that we will endeavour to provide. The level of service is complemented by clearly defined standards. It will also give details of the action you can take if you are unhappy with any aspect of the service you have received.
BPU serves a very wide client base, including the pesticides and biocides industry, consumers, the general public, local authorities, enforcement bodies, other government departments, policy sections, official committees and pressure groups. Since a large part of the work of BPU involves dealing directly with the pesticide industry, this statement is mainly aimed at this client base, however, we aim to ensure that all our clients receive the same high level of service.
When dealing with our clients we will always consider addressing their needs to be a priority. We aim always to be courteous, helpful and accurate in all our contact with you. We will use plain language and avoid the use of technical jargon wherever possible. The confidentiality to which our approval holders have become accustomed will be maintained.
Members of BPU staff will give you their names during all telephone conversations, in all correspondence and at meetings. Where appropriate, we will also wear name badges or provide nameplates at meetings or at public events.
We will always try to answer telephone queries promptly. If the answer to your enquiry cannot be given straight away, we will try to respond with further information the same day, and a full answer within ten working days. If your enquiry is not appropriate to the initial contact, you will be forwarded to a more appropriate member of staff.
We aim to answer all correspondence within a deadline of ten working days. If we are unable to respond fully within this time period for any reason, we will contact you to let you know why and when you may expect a full response. We will monitor all enquiries for performance.
We are always happy to meet with our clients, but if for any reason a meeting has to be cancelled we will arrange a new appointment at a mutually convenient time.
We will aim to carry out the evaluation of your applications as quickly and efficiently as possible, without compromising scientific quality and safety considerations. To aid this process, we will provide you with clear and helpful information about the approvals process and the legislation affecting approvals. Further information on the approvals/authorisation process is given on our website: www.hse.gov.uk/hthdir/ noframes/bpau.htm
We will keep our procedures under review to see if improvements can be made, and to ensure that we provide the most useful and economical service possible to our customers
biocides and pesticides unit is always keen to hear the views of its customers on the service we provide. We therefore invite any clients to telephone, write or fax their comments to us. These will be used in conjunction with our ongoing assessment of ways in which we can improve our service. Where appropriate, we may also carry out surveys for your comments.
We will comply with our statutory responsibilities to provide access to information on nonagricultural pesticides.
Following a decision by the independent Advisory Committee on Pesticides, we will make sure that an evaluation document giving details of the committee's decision and a summary of the data they assessed to reach this decision, are made available. This will apply to all active ingredients approved or reviewed since 1986. The evaluations, which are priced documents, will be available from:
ACP Secretariat,
Pesticides Safety Directorate,
Mallard House,
Kings Pool,
3 Peasholme Green
York
YO1 2 PX.
If you wish to view the data underlying a published evaluation, a room will be available, by appointment, at our Bootle Headquarters for your use.
We will keep our clients up to date with developments in legislation or procedures which may affect their applications or approvals. This will be done via the quarterly Pesticides Newsletter / Biocides Fact Sheet (issued to all approval holders), the monthly 'Pesticides Monitor', the annual Pesticides 200x' (now available on our website) and the Advisory Committee on Pesticides Annual Report. We will also write directly to those of our customers affected by a certain issue to arrange meetings with them to further discuss the matter if needed.
When submitting an application for approval/authorisation, please ensure that as much information as possible is included. If you are unsure about any aspect of an approval, please contact us and we will do our best to help.
All products are dealt with following receipt of the fee. Prompt payment and prompt return of signed forms mean faster approvals.
If you feel that the service you have received has fallen below expected standards, we will welcome your comments, and will ensure that action is taken to correct matters. You should initially contact the person who is dealing with your application or enquiry. If this member of staff cannot answer your complaint to your full satisfaction, they will put you in contact with a more senior member of staff.
If you are still not completely satisfied (or are unsure who to contact), you should write to Ms. Ann Brazier head of the biocides and pesticides unit, at the address given in the section "How to contact us". Your complaint will be extensively investigated, and you will be sent a response within ten working days of your complaint being received.
If you remain dissatisfied, you can write to the Director General of the Health and Safety Executive, Timothy Walker or you can also write and ask your MP to take up your case with us or with Ministers. Your MP may also ask the independent Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration (the Ombudsman) to review your complaint.
biocides and pesticides unit
Health and Safety Executive
Room 123
Magdalen House
Stanley Precinct
Bootle
Merseyside
UK
L20 3QZ
The Biocides & Pesticides Assessment Unit informed readers in the September 2002 Newsletter that the way in which pesticidal products are classified and labelled is changing. From July 2004 all plant protection products and biocidal products, the latter group including nonagricultural pesticides, will have to be classified and labelled according to the criteria set out in the Dangerous Preparations Directive 99/45/EC. This Directive is implemented in the UK through the Chemicals (Hazard Information and Packaging for Supply) Regulations 2002, more commonly known as CHIP 3.
We remind you again that products currently approved under the Control of Pesticides Regulations (COPR) will have to be classified and labelled according to the criteria set out in CHIP 3, with effect from July 2004. It is the responsibility of the supplier to classify and label products according to CHIP 3. As you are no doubt aware, your label will still be required to reflect the conditions of your approval under COPR.
BPU has produced guidance to outline how you, your products and their COPR Approval will be affected, what you have to do and when.
We intend to expand on this guidance in time and are considering how current COPR label phrases might be modified to avoid unnecessary duplication with the CHIP3 R and S phrases.
If you do not have access to the Internet, please write to the Biocides & Pesticides Assessment Unit at the address at the end of this News Letter to request a copy of the guidance.
As part of BPU's ongoing commitment to approval holders we have produced a draft guidance document on the following subject area:
The purpose of this guidance document is to provide advice to applicants on the actions to take when considering making changes to the source of an active ingredient, and to amplify what data may be required. This guide highlights the most common scenarios affecting sources but it is not necessarily exhaustive.
This document is available on our website http://www.hse.gov.uk/hthdir/ noframes/bpau.htm as a final draft to allow for comments from our stakeholders. The deadline for comments on this document will be the 1st of March 2003.
If you have any comments or questions regarding this document then please contact BPU's Efficacy and Chemistry section on 0151 951 3535, fax: 0151 951 3317 or by letter to the address at the end of this newsletter.
As reported in the last issue of the Pesticides Newsletter (Issue 56, September 2002) action is being taken under the 'Marketing and Use Directive' (76/769/EEC) against tributyltin antifouling products and the wood preservative creosote. All relevant approval holders have received letters outlining the action that is to be taken, however, HSE is still awaiting direction from the lead government departments for these actions - Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for tributyltin, and the Department of Trade and Industry for Creosote - before final revocation notices can be issued.
There has also been a new proposal under the Marketing and Use Directive looking at the uses of Copper Chrome Arsenic treated wood. This was discussed at a meeting at the end of November and any final decisions will be published in a future issue of this Newsletter.
We would like to take this opportunity to wish all our Approval Holders a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
If you require any further advice or information about any of the articles in this issue of the Pesticides Newsletter, please contact the Biocides & Pesticides Assessment Unit by telephone on 0151 951 3535, by fax on 0151 951 3317, or by letter to: Biocides & Pesticides Assessment Unit, Health & Safety Executive, Magdalen House, Trinity Road, Bootle, Merseyside L20 3QZ. Alternatively we can be contacted via e-mail at biocides@hse.gsi.gov.uk
Published on HSE web site 3 January 2003