New Chemical Manufactures and Importers Be Fully Prepared for New Chemical Substances Registration on Jan. 1st, 2015.
New chemical substances registration under Occupational Safety and Health Act is expected to come into force on January 1st, 2015. The draft inventory of chemical substances established by MOL was now available. Industries and stakeholders were able to access listed chemicals through search function in CSNN website. For chemical substances that are not listed in the Inventory will be identified as new chemical substances, a chemical substance safety assessment report must be submitted for approval before importing or manufacturing. Corresponding manufactures and importers of new chemical substances are suggested to be fully prepared in advance for registration.
To strengthen chemical source control management and safeguard workers health and safety, MOL had been reported the Executive Yuan in 2009 and implemented an interagency program of “National chemical substances registration and information utilization “during 2010 and 2011. An industrial voluntary nomination program was launched according to the Directions for chemical substances nomination prescribed in 2009. A draft inventory was established and renewed by supplementary nomination (SSECN) carried out respectively in 2012 and May, 2014. There are 93,000 chemical substances included in the draft inventory of chemical substances. This inventory (Taiwan Chemical Substance Inventory, TCSI) will serve as a reference for new chemical substances registration, for which substances that are not listed in the inventory of chemical substances issued by Occupational Safety and Health Act on January 1st, 2015.
According to Article 13 of Occupational Safety and Health Act, manufacturers or importers shall not manufacture or import chemicals containing new chemical substances that are not in the inventory of chemical substances announced by the central competent authority prior to submitting a chemical substance safety assessment report to the central competent authority and receiving registration approval for the new substances. Given that the inventory of chemical substances is a legal installation of reference used to identify new chemical substances and may affect rights and interests of manufacturing and import firms, MOL developed CSNN website (http://csnn.osha.gov.tw) for industrials to search the inventory of chemical substances and access the latest information. For further website and searching information, please contact Safety and Health Technology Center (SAHTECH) Helpdesk for advice. (06-2937770)
MOL Occupational Safhety and health Administration pointed out that rather the mechanisms of new chemical substances registration authorized under MOL and Toxic Chemical Substances Control Act of Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) are both the same devices for chemical source control, but the purposes and targets of two different laws are different in nature. Concerns of avoiding repeated registrations and extra burdens to industries are addressed. MOL and EPA are seeking corporation and to adopt a harmonized “single registration window”to avoid the duplication of registration requirements at most.