HSE Introduces REACH Helpdesk
November 15, 2006 // Published as a news service by IHS
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The U.K. Health and Safety Executive (HSE) launched a helpdesk to offer support to U.K. businesses ahead of the adoption of Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of CHemicals (REACH) regulations. REACH is on pace to be adopted by April 2007.
REACH is a new European regime for the regulation of chemicals, for which HSE will be the competent authority (CA), aimed at ensuring a high level of protection for human health and the environment from hazardous chemicals.
(In actuality, legally designated competent authority will be the Secretary of State in England, Minister for Scotland, Minister for Wales and relevant Minister for Northern Ireland who will then together delegate the functions to HSE.)
Once the regulations are fully operational, the CA will monitor compliance, evaluate substances of concern, as well as take regulatory action as appropriate and coordinate U.K. enforcement of the regulations.
REACH was designed to address a number of shortcomings in current legislation:
- The lack of available information on risks to human health and the environment for the majority of chemical substances on the European Union (EU) market.
- The slow and resource-intensive nature of the current system.
- Transferring the responsibility for the assessment of chemicals from the regulatory authorities to industry.
- The distortions of the internal market inherent in the current fragmented legislative regime.
The CA will work closely with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), Environment agency, the devolved administrations and other government departments and liaise with the new European Chemicals Agency in Helsinki, Finland.
The helpdesk can be contacted at 0845 408 9575 or ukreachca@hse.gsi.gov.uk.
Source: Health and Safety Executive (HSE).