Companies and individuals have a long way to go on REACH compliance, according to a recent inspection.
The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has revealed that 67% of the companies it inspected failed to meet at least one set of key criteria under the latest REACH regulations.
The authority found that over two thirds failed to comply with at least one provision of REACH (including contraventions of REACH pre-registrations). Non-compliance also included failure to meet the classification, labelling and packaging (CLP) legislation itself, which sets out clear guidelines for the communication of the hazards of particular chemicals to employees and consumers.
Overall, the authority inspected more than 1,100 companies or individuals. Most of the companies inspected (40%) were distributors, with most of the other organisations coming from the manufacturing and import sectors. In all, 74% were identified as having the manufacture of chemicals and chemical products as their primary business sector, with more than half in the study carrying out multiple roles.
While the authority has acknowledged that the new chemicals legislation is certainly complex, the study results has highlighted a need for continued education amongst staff and companies handling chemicals.