What is REACH and how will affect me?
REACH stands for Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of CHemicals
It is legislation from the EU that became effective on 1st June 2007. The aim is to improve the protection of human health and the environment.
REACH affects everyone that uses chemicals – even small businesses like hairdressers and garages. In our industry all users of paint products must comply with this legislation because paint contains chemical substances.
What needs to be done?
All chemicals in use have to be registered with the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) in Helsinki.
Every chemical will need to have a ‘portfolio’ of information about the health, safety and environmental impact of that chemical in a specific end use – such as its use in paint. For every registered chemical, all possible routes for exposure must be identified and risk management measures determined and documented.
Leighs Paints have worked through the Paint & Printing Ink European Trade Federation to identify all the uses and cleaning processes for the chemicals we use. We have then agreed a set of standard down-stream user activities for our products.
This information has been shared with our suppliers to allow them to identify the uses of the chemicals they supply. This will allow chemical manufacturers to identify additional uses and precautions which need to be considered in the information portfolio.
Who needs to register the chemicals?
Users of chemicals are classed as either a manufacturer/importer or a ‘downstream user’. Leighs Paints uses chemicals to manufacture paint but does not manufacture chemicals, so is a ‘downstream user’.
All of our customers are also ‘downstream users’.
Downstream users do not register the chemicals. This is done by the manufacturer, or the importer where the manufacturer is not in the EU.
This means that Leighs Paints need their suppliers to register the chemicals we use with the ECHA in Helsinki. We then need a letter from our suppliers to confirm in writing that a specific chemical has been registered for use in paint.
A number of our suppliers are also ‘downstream’ users and so must go to their own supplier for this confirmation.
Our products will not carry a REACH ‘Certificate’ as it is not the product which is registered under REACH but the chemicals contained within the product. As each chemical is registered, its registration number will be included on the safety data sheet.
What next?
All chemicals in our products were ‘pre-registered’ with the ECHA by the end of November 2008.
Based on this information, we consider that we will be able to maintain continuity of supply for all of the products in our range.
We are now in a waiting period while the actual registration process is implemented through the ECHA and this will take a number of years. The exact timing of each chemical’s registration depends on their chemical properties and the quantities used within the European Union.
Higher hazard materials used in larger quantities are assessed first and the lower quantity and lower hazard materials will follow. The time scale is from November 2010 to 2018.
As this implementation takes place Leighs Paints will be notified by our suppliers of the status of the registration for each chemical and any changes to classification, use, or additional precautions required. We will pass on any changes through updates to our product safety data sheets.
Over a number of years the contents of the safety data sheet will need to change; it may expand to include additional guidance and precautions which should be taken for the use of the chemicals contained within a product.
We will of course keep you informed should any significant new information become available.
If you have any further questions or require any additional information please contact:
- Mrs Anne Styan – REACH Co-ordinator
- Tel: +44 (0)1204 521771
- Email: she@leighspaints.com