Ukraine: Major alignment with the EU and international chemical legislation

 

Ukraine has published a Technical Regulation on Hazard Classification, Labeling and Packaging of Chemical Products which introduces the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals in Ukraine.

The draft Technical Regulation on Hazard Classification, Labeling and Packaging of Chemical Products provides for the establishment of legal provisions to ensure effective protection of human health and the environment from the hazardous chemical products impacts, as well as to establish rules for free circulation of such products on the domestic market of Ukraine.

It also envisages the establishment of National List of Approved Hazard Classifications and Warning Labeling Elements, State Register of Hazard Classifications and Warning Labeling Elements for Hazardous Chemicals and implementation of the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS) at the national level.

The introduced rules stipulate that manufacturers, importers, suppliers and other market operators have to ensure that the hazard classification of chemical products they provide on the market of Ukraine or export has been carried out in accordance with the criteria set out in the relevant paragraphs and annexes to the Technical Regulation. In case of classification of chemical products as hazardous according to one or more hazard classes, they have to ensure that such chemical products are properly packaged and labeled with appropriate information.

To classify the hazards of chemical products, manufacturers, importers and other suppliers are required to collect all available information on the hazardous characteristics of chemicals from any reliable sources, assess its validity and apply to the selected information the hazard classification criteria for all classes, differentiations and categories within a class, as defined by the Technical Regulation.

The Technical Regulation harmonizes Ukrainian legislation in the relevant field with EU legislation (Regulation No. 1272/2008) and international UN standards (GHS system).

The Ukrainian regulations requiring adaptations were: Laws of Ukraine “On Technical Regulations and Conformity Assessment”, “On Waste Management”, “On the General Safety of Non-Food Products, “On Protection of Consumer Rights”, “On State Market Surveillance and Control of Non-Food Products.

To find out more about chemical regulations, please contact the Product Compliance Institute directly.