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The 12 Month Countdown to CLP Compliance Begins Today

Tuesday 3rd June

Sunday 1st June marked the beginning of a 12 month countdown to CLP compliance. By June 1st 2015 most hazardous chemical products being placed on the market will need to be reclassified and relabelled in accordance with the new Classification, Labelling and Packaging of substances and mixtures Regulation 1272/2008 (CLP).

This change will have far reaching consequences for all those who supply and use hazardous chemicals in Ireland, throughout the EU and indeed worldwide.

Any business that imports or formulates chemical mixtures will be affected by this deadline, they should be aware of it and ready for the change. These businesses will need to reclassify and relabel all hazardous mixtures that they place on the market by the 1st June 2015.

For those mixtures that are already on the market, on the 1st June 2015, there is derogation from re-labelling and repackaging until 1st June 2017.

CLP introduces new pictograms, signal word, hazard and precautionary statements to the label. Certain chemical products such as medicines and cosmetics, placed on the market 'in the finished state and intended for the final user', are outside the scope of CLP. However, many of the hazardous ingredients that go into making these products are not excluded from CLP and may need to be reclassified, relabelled and repackaged.

Dr Sharon McGuinness, Assistant Chief Executive of the Health and Safety Authority is encouraging all those who are affected to start their efforts now, as making the necessary changes to packaging and labels will take time. "These changes will, in the long term, make it easier for those placing chemicals on the market in Ireland, Europe and beyond as the pictograms used are part of a global effort on simplifying hazard communication. In addition, those who use chemicals in the workplace or the home should find it easier to follow the warnings and advice provided on labels with the introduction of these changes."

The Health and Safety Authority is participating in an EU wide awareness raising campaign to alert Irish companies of these changes. As part of this campaign, the Authority is also offering assistance to help compliance with the upcoming deadline and encourages those affected to contact its Chemicals Helpdesk email (chemicals@hsa.ie) for assistance or visit http://www.hsa.ie/eng/Your_Industry/Chemicals/

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