News
Asset Publisher
Practical solutions to help meet harmonised information requirements
The second amendment is expected to enter into force in the beginning of November 2020, following a two-month scrutiny period by the European Parliament and Council. It aims to address concerns raised by industry on the administrative burden for companies while still meeting the information needs of poison centres.
The main changes concern reporting on the composition of mixtures, such as fuels and petroleum products, as well as certain construction products which may be highly variable or sometimes unknown.
For ready-mixed concrete, cement and gypsum, the amendment introduces a list of standard formulas that companies can refer to in their poison centre notifications.
Certain fuels that are also now listed in the amendment can be notified by referring to their safety data sheet, instead of reporting exact concentration ranges.
Cross-sector solutions will be possible for companies that use multiple suppliers for the components of a particular mixture. These components can now form an ‘interchangeable component group’ but only when they are sufficiently similar to be considered equivalent regarding their toxicological profiles and technical functions. Companies can now indicate information on the concentration at the group level, rather than indicating the concentration of each individual component within the group.
The last main area of changes concerns bespoke paints which are those formulated in stores at the customer’s demand at the point of sale. The amendment exempts bespoke paints from Article 45 obligations as retailers will be unable to submit or print labels in advance for paints that are requested by customers on the spot. However, each individual hazardous mixture – meaning the paint base, the tinter mixtures and toners included in the bespoke paints, must still be notified and have their own UFIs.
The updated Guidance on harmonised information relating to emergency health responses, including the second amendment changes to Annex VIII, is currently being prepared.