European Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008

Sunday 01 June 2014

The CLP Regulation: Chemical classification, labelling and packaging

If your company is involved with chemical substances in any way then it is important to be aware of the following legal implications that may affect your business.

European Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 on classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures will become directly applicable to all EU member states, including the UK, from June 1st 2015.

The regulation is more commonly known as the CLP Regulation and ensures that the United Nations’ Globally Harmonised System on the classification and labelling of chemicals (GHS) becomes legally binding in the EU.

The regulation came into force back in 2009 and relates to classification, labelling and packaging of chemicals and dictates that a new set of hazard pictograms are used on packaging and labels.

To find out your role and legal responsibilities it is important to understand where in the supply chain of the chemicals in question you stand; the Health and Safety Executive website can assist with this. When it is established that a chemical may cause harm, the supplier is required to inform users of this on the label.

The hazard pictograms are designed to be universally understood thus reducing the risk to users who may not be able to read and understand descriptive labelling. This also means that any risks associated with translating labels from one language to another when chemicals are imported are potentially reduced.

If you are a chemical supplier and require assistance in translating technical documentation, or if you are an employer using Safety Data Sheets to inform your employees of chemical hazards and require these translating, ensure that you get them translated accurately and professionally. Contact RL Translations for assistance.