CLP regulations

If you are a manufacturer of chemical products or regular user of chemicals within your manufacturing process you need to be aware of the CLP (Classification, Labelling and Packaging of Chemicals) regulation and the forthcoming changes.

During this period of transition the Safety Data Sheet (SDS), previously called Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS), have evolved under the REACH regulation. Safety data sheets are the main communication tool between suppliers and users. They include information on the physical, chemical and hazardous properties of the substance or mixture as well as instructions for their handling, disposal and transport, and for first-aid, fire-fighting and exposure control measures.

Because of this essential requirement it is important that users and organisations which use chemicals covered by the REACH regulations ensure their SDS information is up to date, and consistent with the labelling on the chemical products.

What is happening?

One set of symbols, globally recognised: The Globally Harmonised System (GHS) which applies to the classification and labelling of chemicals was published in 2003. Currently, different countries and trading areas have a variety of regulations, and GHS is intended to remove this confusion and replace different systems with a single, globally understood version.

EU regulation: The classification, labelling and packaging (CLP) regulation is the European Union’s response to GHS.Under the EU regulation (EC) No1272/2008, all EU member states will implement the standardised GHS classification and labelling on chemical substances and mixtures.

When?

CLP will replace existing directives concerning classification and labelling:: Dangerous Substance Directive (67/548/EEC) // Dangerous Preparations Directive (1999/45/EC)

Where a mixture is already classified, labelled and packaged according to the DPD rules and placed on the market before 1st June 2015, i.e. it is already in the supply chain by that date, the manufacturer, importer, downstream user or distributor may postpone its re-labelling and repackaging according to the CLP rules until 1 June 2017. This means that the mixture can be sold further in the supply chain with the DPD label until 1st June 2017.