CHEMSAFETPRO: K-REACH's New Safety and Labelling Standards for Consumer Products

In April 2015, the Ministry of Environment (MoE) in South Korea issued its Notice No. 2015-41 setting safety and labelling standards for 8 types of products designated as products of risk concern: cleaning agents, synthetic detergents, bleaching agents, fabric softeners, coatings, adhesives (including glues), fragrances, and deodorants. Manufacturers and importers of those household chemicals are required to comply with the new standards from 1 Oct 2015. 

K-REACH not only regulates chemical substances but also regulates chemical consumer products. Product containing hazardous chemical substances may require notification while product of risk concern needs to comply with additional safety and labelling standards. The picture below is an overview of product management under K-REACH.   



CHEMSAFETYPRO has written an article on helping you understand how those safety and labelling standards work and how to comply with them. http://www.chemsafetypro.com/Topics/Korea/Safety_and_Labelling_Standards_Chemical_Consumer_Product_Korea_REACH.html

Chemical Regulations in Korea: K-REACH, CCA and OSHA

In this topic, we will focus on industrial chemical regulations in Korea.

The Act on Registration and Evaluation, etc of Chemical Substances (K-REACH)

The Act on Registration and Evaluation, etc of Chemical Substances(K-REACH) was promulgated on 22 May 2013 by the Ministry of Environment in South Korea and it comes into force on 1 Jan 2015. The Act is also well-known as K-REACH due to its similarity to the EU REACH regulation. K-REACH is the main chemical regulation in Korea.

Under K-REACH, any person who intends to manufacture or import a new chemical substance or at least one ton per year of a designated existing chemical substance subject to registration shall register the chemical substance before he/she manufactures or imports. K-REACH also sets out requirements for companies to report the volume and uses of substances they manufacture/import and notify products containing hazardous chemicals substance.

Read more..

We have also compared differences between K-REACH and EU REACH.

Chemical Control Act(CCA) in Korea

The chemicals control act(previously toxic chemicals control act) passed national assembly in May in 2013 and it comes into force on 1 Jan 2015. It is a new law focusing on chemical accident prevention and reporting. Under CCA, any person who intends to set up and operate toxic chemicals handling facilities shall prepare Off-site consequence analysis report that evaluates the impact of a potential chemical accident on the surrounding environment and population.

CCA also requires that any person who handles accident prone chemicals in excess of a certain amount prepare and submit a contingency plan every five years.

Occupational Safety and Health Act(OSHA) in Korea

OSHA regulates the use of chemicals in workplace with a goal of protecting workers from exposure to hazardous chemicals. Like K-REACH, OSHA requires that any person who manufactures or imports new substances investigate the hazards of new substances and submit the investigation report to the Ministry of Employment and Labor(Article 40). Usually companies submit new substance notifications to the National Institute of Environmental Research(NIER) of the Ministry of Environment who then share hazard information with the Ministry of Employment and Labor. One difference is that OSHA requires some hazard data for the registration of new substances(0.1~1t/y) while the registration of new substances(0.1~1t/y) under K-REACH does not require any hazard data before 2020.

Under OSHA, any person who transfers or supplies a chemical substance or preparation shall classify the chemical according to national classification standards, prepare a SDS and label it properly if classification criterion is met(article 41).

In addition to that, OSHA gives the Ministry of Employment and Labor the authority to set exposure limits for harmful agents, many of which are chemicals.

- See more at: http://www.chemsafetypro.com/Topics/Korea/index.html

Nuew K-REACH 2015 - The Act on the Registration and Evaluation of Chemicals in Korea

The Act on Registration and Evaluation, etc of Chemical Substances(K-REACH) was promulgated on 22 May 2013 by the Ministry of Environment in South Korea and it comes into force on 1 Jan 2015. The Act is also well-known as Korea REACH due to its similarity to the EU REACH regulation. 

K-REACH is not difficult to understand!

Under K-REACH, any person who intends to manufacture or import a new chemical substance or at least one ton per year of a designated existing chemical substance subject to registration shall register the chemical substance before he/she manufactures or imports. K-REACH also sets out requirements for companies to report the volume and uses of substances they manufacture/import and notify products containing hazardous chemicals substance. Foreign manufacturers who export chemical substances to Korea may appoint a Korea-based only representative to submit annual report or registrations or product notifications.

The picture below is an overview of K-REACH.

To understand the impact of Korea REACH on your business, you only need to:

• Check if your products are within the scope of Korea REACH;
• Identity your obligations under Korea REACH;

Differences Between K-REACH and EU-REACH

Scope of K-REACH

K-REACH applies to both new substance, existing substance and product.

1.'New substance' is a substance that is not listed on Korean Existing Chemicals List(KECL). More info about KECLcan be found here.

2.'Product' is a unique concept under K-REACH. A product means a mixture or an article used by consumers or a component of the mixture or the article that may expose consumers to chemical substances.

3.'Product of risk concern' means a chemical product annouced by the Ministry of Environment due to its potential to pose risks to human health and the environment. There are two main categories: consumer-use chemicals(detergent, etc.) and biocides(disinfectant, etc.).

4. K-REACH does not specify that articles(car,etc.) are outside of the scope. However, articles that do not contain any substances intended to be released are exempt from most of K-REACH obligations such as reporting, registration and product notification.

Industry's Obligations under K-REACH

Most of K-REACH obligations fall on manufacturers and importers in Korea. Foreign manufacturers may appoint Korea-based only representatives to comply with K-REACH

How to comply with K-REACH