Handling of Chemicals
handling of chemicals and chemical products in Sweden
Safe handling of chemicals in Sweden concerns strategic prevention of health and environmental risks while working with chemical and biological substances. You need to have procedures for listing and inventorying your chemical products in your business activity. To ensure safe chemical management, you as a company manager, is responsible to provide your employees with the necessary safety training on this issue. Through a risk analysis measure, you can anticipate and understand the risks in your chemical handling work.
Chemical Safety
Safety is about protecting yourself in your work with chemicals and preventing damage by taking the right action and using proper personal protective equipment. First Aid equipment should always be available and the correct information on such measures must be clearly stated in a Safety Data Sheet. Remaining chemicals must be handled in accordance with current regulations. Work rooms should be cleaned and ventilated regularly.
Chemical Handling Procedures
Procedures in handling of chemicals shall be in place for purchasing, storage, inventory, use and risk analysis. There must be trained staff available, who understand the consequences and can anticipate hazards in the ongoing work at an early stage. Equally important is that chemicals have the correct classification and labelling on the packaging that corresponds to the information in the enclosed Safety Data Sheet. Therefore, it is important to have routines around updating Safety Data Sheets and labels associated with these.
List of Chemicals
Both the regulation on the operator’s self-control and the Swedish Work Environment Authority’s regulations set requirements for a list of chemicals. It is a basic document that creates a quick and clear overview of the chemicals used in the business. Making such a list is not easy, therefore, a company could start by looking at the presence of chemicals in their business. Furthermore, information on the chemicals should be obtained both internally and externally.
Warning Labels
Hazard Statements totally include nine symbols consisting of standardized warning labels whose design is governed by Annex V of the CLP Regulation. These are square shaped with red frame set on a lace and with a black symbol on white background.
The hazard statements consist of standardized phrases that are formulated in Annex III and Annex IV of the CLP Regulation. The phrases convey what dangerous properties a product possesses and how it should be handled to prevent health and environmental risks.
Hazard pictogram selection is governed by hazard statements, which define the product’s health and environmental classification.
We can help identify your chemical holdings, analyse chemical handling in the business activity and see what routines need to be established, improved or eliminated. We can provide guidance and advice in creating a list of chemicals and revise labelling of your chemicals in accordance with the Safety Data Sheets for these.
Chemical Safety Assessment
Before a Safety Data Sheet is produced, we conduct a chemical safety assessment, which provides an analytical base for the product’s classification. The document shows how the classification has been calculated and which toxicological and ecotoxicological data have been used in the classification and what is missing or constitutes an element of uncertainty in the assessment.
The Chemical Safety Assessment is an effective tool for any inspection visit from the Swedish Chemicals Inspectorate, as it immediately gives a clear picture of the product’s detailed content and classification.
Classification and Documentation
Having the right classification and documentation for chemicals is a prerequisite for the safe, legal and smooth progress of the business. We help you control these areas by establishing documentation routines and instructions for your employees in their daily work. This creates transparency and order in your chemical handling. Your chemical documentation and chemical labelling will always be in order, meeting requirements of any chemical inspection.
Safety Data Sheet and Safety Sheet
We create and adapt the information on health and environmental risks stated in the Safety Data Sheet to a chemical product. Safety information, such as suitable protective equipment, precautions and the risk of hazardous reactions, which is partly based on the information in the Safety Data Sheet, we adapt to fit in a document called Safety Sheet.
Read more: Safety Data Sheet
Risk Analysis
In accordance with the applicable law, we conduct and document a risk analysis. In doing so, we take into account both the product with its inherent properties and the production processes based on the degree of exposure as well as various factors associated with it. There are various methods for assessing and analyzing risks in the process of chemical handling. We choose or tailor the method to suit your business in the best possible way.
Hazard Assessment
We distinguish the hazards and risks in our assessments and produce evidence on toxicity, sensitizing and corrosive effects, bioaccumulation and degradability. All the classifications of the substances are controlled against the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and a hazard assessment is carried out on the prepared documentation.
Legislation and Monitoring
Because chemicals are used in many different ways in society, the legislation in this area is complicated and scattered. There are a number of different laws and regulations that are also constantly changing and evolving. We have a knowledge about how this system works and therefore can identify the particular rules applicable on your business activity.
Reporting to the Swedish Chemicals Agency
We help you with registration in the Product Register as well as other registration and updating of your products. If you want to find out more about the registration procedures, we would be happy to guide you through the entire process. If you want to delegate the task, we carry out everything for you. In addition, we can contact your foreign supplier and assist them during the reporting process. Furthermore, we also investigate various legal and procedural issues with the product register if such appear.
Course in Handling of Chemicals
We provide environmental training for the company’s staff (specific training in handling hazardous substances and preparations, risk analysis, measures and protection of chemicals in the working environment, as well as interpretation of safety information in Safety Data Sheets and labels). A course can also deal with ADR 1.3 for the shipment of dangerous goods. We also tailor internal training that can be carried out at the customer.