What's New

The Member States in the REACH Committee have unanimously agreed to a Commission proposal amending the compliance check target of registration dossiers in REACH from 5% to 20%.

Version 2.2.0 of the European Union System for the Evaluation of Substances (EUSES) has been released that will help companies and authorities assess the environmental impact of biocidal active substances.

Ruling on a case brought by the PlasticsEurope industry association, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) has re-confirmed the classification of plasticiser bisphenol A (BPA) as a substance of very high concern (SVHC).

Chemical companies usually consider managing exposure risks from hazardous substances to be most pressing but a chemical manufacturer has recently been fined after an employee fell two metres from a ladder and suffered a serious elbow injury showing that a failure to manage other health and safety risks can also result in a court appearance.

The Department for Transport (DfT) have published Authorisation 836.

The Competent Authorities for REACH and CLP (CARACAL) have agreed unanimously to the European Commission’s proposed changes to Annex VIII to CLP.

Italy has now signed Sweden’s multilateral agreement M313 concerning the carriage of explosive substances and articles belonging to the Armed Forces set to be destroyed.

The CEFIC Emergency Response Intervention Cards (ERICards or ERIC's) have been brought in line with ADR 2017 by introducing new UN entries and by adapting classification data for a number of substances.

Researchers have emphasised that respiratory protective equipment (RPE) should never be relied on as the sole measure for protecting workers against the risks of occupational asthma, underscoring the well-known advice that protective equipment should be viewed only as the last resort within any hierarchy of controls.

A consultation has been opened on the draft amendment to Annex II of REACH.