REACH is a European Union regulation and stands for Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals. It is important legislation for the control of chemicals in Europe and aims to protect human health and the environment from the risks that can be posed by them, whilst enhancing the competitiveness of the EU chemicals industry. It also promotes alternative methods for assessing the hazards of substances, in order to reduce animal testing. It became law in the UK on 1st June 2007.
REACH impacts almost all UK business sectors; from retailers to builders, food manufacturers to printers, because most businesses use some form of chemicals in their day to-day operations. Even businesses that don’t consider themselves to be involved with chemicals can be affected by REACH and others may rely on chemicals in some way without realising it, for example, in their manufacturing processes or for keeping premises clean. Examples of chemicals include paints, metals, glues, solvents, or cleaning materials. As a user, REACH may make things better for you as it is designed to provide more information on chemicals and increase confidence in their safe use.
