Doug is a painter and decorator, employing two other people in his business ‘Doug’s Decorating’, which has been operating for the last 10 years. He uses various products during the course of his work; namely paints, glues and solvents, which he buys from a local trade warehouse. Doug uses these products as the supplier intends them to be used.

One of Doug’s employees, Ian, recently read an article in a newspaper about a new chemical regulation ‘REACH’ and has warned Doug that all chemicals are covered, even paint. Doug was concerned about yet another piece of regulation and what it would mean for his business. So Doug decided to find out more and thought that the internet was a good place to start looking.

After searching using the keyword ‘REACH’, Doug read about the regulation on the UK Competent Authority website and decided to contact the helpdesk. The helpdesk staff quickly established with Doug that he is known as a Downstream User (DU) under REACH, because he uses chemicals in the course of his work activities.

However, Doug told the helpdesk staff that he was still concerned because he has a named ‘role’ (DU) in REACH and that this might mean he will have a lot of work to do to comply with the new regulation. He was also worried because he discovered that some chemicals might go off the market and that this might be a problem if it meant some of the products he uses might disappear.

So, the helpdesk staff went through the obligations of a DU and assured Doug that he did not really have any new demanding duties under REACH and that if her continued to comply with Health and Safety rules he would not have to worry. They also explained that the kinds of products and materials he uses in his trade will continue to be available under REACH. Doug now understood more about REACH and realised that he was not likely to be significantly affected by this new legislation.