UK REACH Competent Authority

In the UK, the Competent Authority is hosted by the Health and Safety Executive, working with the Environment Agency and other government departments.

The Competent Authority’s responsibilities under REACH will be to:

• Provide advice to interested parties on their respective responsibilities under REACH through a ‘helpdesk’.
• Enforce compliance with registration.
• Conduct in depth evaluation of selected prioritised substances and prepare draft decisions.
• Propose harmonised classification and labelling.
• Identify substances of very high concern for authorisation.
• Propose restrictions.
• Nominate candidates to membership of ECHA committees on risk assessment and socio-economic analysis.
• Appoint members for the Member State committee.
• Appoint a member to the Forum for Information Exchange and meet to discuss enforcement matters.
• Liaise as appropriate with relevant enforcing organisations in relation to downstream responsibilities under REACH, e.g. the implementation by users of the risk management measures designated by suppliers; the adherence to restrictions or to the refusal of authorisation.

The competent authority helpdesk cannot:

• Respond to complaints about the operation of REACH at the European level(ECHA/European Commission)
• Provide input to any assessments being conducted by industry
• Give views/opinions on draft assessments
• Get involved in SIEFs
• Provide support on policy issues (Defra)

Contact us

You can contact the UK CA helpdesk by emailing UKREACHCA@hse.gsi.gov.uk or by post:

UK REACH CA Helpdesk
2.3 Redgrave Court
Bootle
Merseyside
L20 7HS

To book in for CA led conferences or roadshows e-mail reachcameetings@hse.gsi.gov.uk