The UK REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) Regulation is a key piece of legislation that regulates the use of chemicals in Great Britain. It requires companies that manufacture or import substances into Great Britain to register them with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
These registrations include information on the hazards, uses, and exposure of the substance. The registration information is used by the HSE for regulatory purposes and by the companies to identify appropriate risk management measures.
To ensure a smooth transition to the UK REACH regime, the legislation includes transitional provisions. These provisions allow companies to submit initial “notification” data to continue trading and then provide full registration data later. The transitional provisions apply to companies that were registrants, downstream users, or distributors under EU REACH before UK REACH came into effect.
Currently, the deadlines for completing the transitional registration process depend on the tonnage and hazard profile of the substance. The deadlines are October 2023 for certain high-risk substances, October 2025 for substances added to the UK REACH candidate list, and October 2027 for all other substances.
However, in response to concerns from stakeholders about the cost of acquiring the data for registration, the government is exploring an alternative transitional registration model. This model aims to reduce costs for businesses while maintaining or improving existing human health and environmental protections.
To allow sufficient time for the development of this new policy and to make the necessary operational and legislative changes, the government is proposing to extend the current registration deadlines. This will also give companies time to prepare for compliance with the new model. The extension will prevent companies from making unnecessary investments in complying with the current deadlines and data requirements and allow them to plan their business decisions in relation to the extended deadlines.
In addition to extending the registration deadlines, this consultation also covers the proposal to extend the legislative timeline for the UK regulator to carry out compliance checks on 20% of registration dossiers. These checks need to be amended to take place after the relevant submission dates have passed, as otherwise there will be no data for the HSE to carry out the checks on.
As a business that works with many companies in the UK, we understand the importance of staying up to date with regulations and ensuring compliance.
The proposed extension of the UK REACH registration deadlines and compliance check timeline will provide businesses with more time to prepare and make necessary adjustments to meet the requirements of the new model.
We will continue to monitor the situation and keep you informed of any updates that may affect you.
