Until now labels for hazardous preparations have only needed a maximum of three symbols. Many will now require four. This means some labels will have to be produced in a new format to accommodate more phrases and in some cases, with the need for larger labels, having a knock-on effect to the size of the container or packaging!
In all, 32 of the largest multi-national chemical manufacturers were contacted to assess the awareness of the legislative changes and the levels of preparation that have been made.
Incredibly, 22% admitted that they were still very vague about the requirements of the CHIP 3 regulations and only 44% had put plans in place to accommodate the changes.
'The legislation comes into effect at the end of April and all companies must comply throughout Europe by the end of July 2002,' says Prisym Group chief executive Colin Bateman. 'This does not leave much time for making changes that will have a big impact on their business practices and will take time to plan and implement.
