REACH stands for the Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals, and it has been impacting companies across the world since 2008 under EU law. If you run a business which makes use of chemicals to some degree and you don’t know about REACH, you should pay attention because the regulations are there for your employees’ health, as well as the health of your business.
What Are its Aims?[/b]
The REACH programme has a range of aims, but in general, it was commissioned to ensure high levels of protection of human health and the environment from the use of manufactured chemicals. Moreover, it aims to allow the free movement of chemical substances across the EU market which will in turn raise the overall quality of the market. Finally, through monitoring standards in the chemical market, REACH aims to enhance innovation across the chemicals industry which will increase competitiveness. For more information on the nature of REACH, visit its official webpage here.
How do You Know that Your Business is Affected?[/b]
The simple question you need to ask yourself if you’re trying to see if your business is affected by REACH is whether your company deals with the production or use of either ‘preparation’ or ‘articles’.
‘Preparation’ chemicals are solutions, liquids or fluids made up of the combination of two or more substances. ‘Articles’ are objects which are formed in a particular shape or design, such as cars or batteries.
If your business deals with chemicals in either form, then you should check to see whether your business is REACH-compliant. Of course, the natural question that arises is how do you stay[/i] REACH-compliant?
How Does Your Business Remain REACH-Compliant?[/b]
There isn’t just one easy way to fix your REACH compliancy. However, for a start, you can make sure that if you’re importing chemicals from offshore that you follow the terms of the OSPAR pre-screening scheme which states that suppliers must meet the relevant requirements of REACH.
Once you’ve done everything that you think you possibly could do, you could cover all of your tracks by consulting a chemical waste specialist like Bibra-Information who will be able to analyse every aspect of your business’s chemical usage and guide you through REACH compliance.
Ultimately, getting your business to comply with REACH might be a tricky process, but if you understand what it is and what it targets, at least you can begin to become compliant.