CHIP is the law that applies to suppliers of dangerous chemicals. Its purpose is to protect people and the environment from the effects of those chemicals by requiring suppliers to provide information about the dangers and to package them safely.

CHIP requires the supplier of a dangerous chemical to:

• identify the hazards (dangers) of the chemical. This is known as ‘classification’;
• give information about the hazards to their customers. Suppliers usually provide this information on the package itself (eg a label) and, if supplied for use at work, in a safety data sheet (SDS);
• package the chemical safely.

‘Supply’ means making a chemical available to another person. Manufacturers, importers, distributors, wholesalers and retailers are all examples of suppliers.

CHIP applies to most chemicals but not all. The details of the scope are set out in the Regulations. Some chemicals, such as cosmetics and medicines, are outside the scope and have their own specific laws. However, biocides and plant protection products had to be classified and labelled according to CHIP from July 2004.