About REACH

The REACH regulation (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) is an EU directly-acting regulation, like CLP.  In fact, when it was introduced in 2006, it was the first directly-acting regulation through the whole of the EU.

The primary purpose of REACH is to ensure that every chemical on the EU marketplace has been subjected to appropriate testing to ensure that its classification is appropriate, and that good-quality Safety Data Sheets (SDSs) are produced by the supplier.

REACH takes this simple idea and extends it into a very bureaucratic and expensive process.  It also brings in new forms of classification which are outside the scope of GHS, but which also needs to be added to the SDS.

It requires that all chemical substances placed on the market in the EU in 1981 (the EINECS list), and manufactured or imported into the EU in quantities of 1 tonne per annum or greater, are registered with the European Chemicals Agency, ECHA.

There is a phase-in period from 2010 to 2018 for registration, with the third phase for substances from 1 – 10 tonnes per annum, and 10  -100 tonnes per annum due to be registered by 31st May 2018.

The current consolidated version of the REACH regulation (11-10-2016): Consolidated REACH regs 11-10-2016

The parts of the REACH regulation which contain Safety Data Sheet requirements are the “articles” section at the start of the regulation, specifically Articles 31 – 34 (pp 38 – 42 in the 11/10/2016 version) and also Annex II, Requirements for the Compilation of Safety Data Sheets (pp 116 – 141 in the 11/10/2016 version).

In 2017, there were two Amending Regulations to REACH which have not been included in a consolidated version at the time of writing (January 2018):

Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/999 of 13 June 2017 amending Annex XIV to Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH): REACH amending regulation Annex XIV 2017 (updates to Authorisation list).

Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/1510 of 30 August 2017 amending the Appendices to Annex XVII to Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals: REACH amending regulation Annex XVII appendices 2017   (updates to Restricted chemicals).

There are also three important Implementing Regulations which affect REACH.

Regulation on the Joint Submission of Data and Data-sharing (05-01-2016): Data sharing regulation 05-01-2016

Test Methods Regulation (04-03-2016): 440-2008 Test Method Regulation – 04-03-2016 .

Fee Regulation (05-06-2016): REACH Fee Regulation 05-06-2016

In the UK, REACH is enforced (by the HSE) through the REACH Enforcement Regulations, which has several amendments.  These can all be downloaded from http://www.legislation.gov.uk/all?title=reach%20enforcement .