25 Mar 10 Who is REACH Compliance Service Provider and how does one register?

REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Registration of Chemicals) is a regulation which entered into force on the 1st of June 2007, streaming and improving the former legislative framework on chemicals of the European Union. The main purpose of REACH is to develop and improve the protection of human health and the environment through the better and earlier recognition of chemical substances. It also enhances the innovative capability and competitiveness for the EU chemical industry. REACH regulation is also there to give greater responsibility to the industry to manage the risk from chemical products and to provide safety data on the substances. Manufacturers and importers must gather the data on the properties of their chemical products, which will allow safe handling.

In order for one to register certain chemical substance information, they will need to contact the central database run by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) in Helsinki. The Agency will act as the central point in the REACH system. It will manage the databases necessary to operate the system, co-ordinate the in-depth evaluation of suspicious chemicals and run a public database in which consumers and professionals can find hazard information. In accordance to the REACH regulation, any company manufacturing or importing a substance into the EU on its own, as one substance or a mixture compound internationally released from articles (finished manufactured products) at or above 1 tonnage/year, may have to fulfill the obligation of REACH registration.

As stated by the REACH main regulatory service: 'Registration is the process of collecting and collating specified sets of information on the properties of substances. How much information is needed depends on the tonnage and hazards associated with the substance that is to be registered. "If these requirements are not met, the outcome will be very clear; no data ' no market." In order to ensure the complex requirements of registration are complied with, companies should develop comprehensive management compliance strategies and programs. A multidisciplinary team of experts for these technical duties will facilitate this procedure. All of these pose a very big challenge to industry.