These Regulations concern the identification of harmful properties of chemicals (hazards) and the communication of this information to users by means of labels, and are known as CHIP 4, and cover hazards to health, safety and the environment, and use of chemicals both in the home and at work.
There are two European Directives that set out how to classify, label and package a hazardous chemical – the Dangerous Substances Directive (No. 67/548/EEC) and the Dangerous Preparations Directive (No. 1999/45/EC). These Directives establish a single market for the supply of chemicals in the European Union. This means chemical suppliers across the European Union have to follow the same rules when classifying and labelling hazardous chemicals. European Directives have to be implemented into national law. The Dangerous Substances Directive and the Dangerous Preparations Directive are implemented in Great Britain by the Chemicals (Hazard Information and Packaging for Supply) Regulations 2002 – commonly known as the ‘CHIP’ regulations.
On 1 June 2015, the European Regulation (EC) No. 1272/2008 on the Classification, Labelling and Packaging of Substance and Mixtures (CLP Regulation) replaced and fully repealed the Dangerous Substances Directive and the Dangerous Preparations Directive. The CLP Regulation is directly acting in all EU Member States and does not require separate implementation into national law. The CHIP regulations would remain in force throughout the transitional period of the CLP Regulation but was also repealed on 1 June 2015.
