These requirements apply to all business activities in this division.
compliance
Great_Britain
Ongoing
Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 — general duties
Enforced by:
HSE
Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
General duty to ensure the health, safety and welfare of employees and others affected by the work. Chemical manufacture is high-hazard — process, plant and substance risks all engage HASWA. NI: Health and Safety at Work (Northern Ireland) Order 1978.
insurance
Great_Britain
Annual
Employers' Liability Insurance
Enforced by:
HSE
Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969
Compulsory for any business employing at least one person.
registration
Uk
Annual
UK GDPR + Data Protection Act 2018
Enforced by:
ICO
Data Protection Act 2018; UK GDPR (retained EU law)
Applies to any business processing personal data — staff, customers, suppliers. ICO data protection fee payable unless specifically exempt.
compliance
Great_Britain
Ongoing
Equality Act 2010 — protected characteristics
Enforced by:
EHRC
Equality Act 2010
Discrimination, harassment and victimisation prohibited across nine protected characteristics in employment and services. NI: separate equality legislation enforced by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland.
compliance
England_Wales
Ongoing
Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
Enforced by:
LOCAL_FIRE_AUTHORITY
Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
The responsible person must carry out a fire risk assessment and maintain fire-safety arrangements. Particularly demanding where flammable solvents and dangerous substances are present (read with DSEAR). Devolved: Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 and Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006; Fire and Rescue Services (NI) Order 2006.
compliance
Great_Britain
Ongoing
Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH)
Enforced by:
HSE
Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002
Assess, prevent or control exposure to hazardous substances; monitor exposure and provide health surveillance where required. Central control for every chemical maker handling hazardous substances. NI: Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003.
compliance
Great_Britain
Ongoing
Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres (DSEAR)
Enforced by:
HSE
Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002
Assess and control fire, explosion and similar energetic-event risks from flammable, oxidising and unstable substances; zone hazardous areas and select compliant equipment (see the Equipment and Protective Systems Intended for Use in Potentially Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2016, uksi/2016/1107). NI: DSEAR (Northern Ireland) 2003.
compliance
Great_Britain
Ongoing
Provision and Use of Work Equipment (PUWER)
Enforced by:
HSE
Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998
Work equipment — reactors, mixers, conveyors, packing lines — must be suitable, maintained, inspected and safe to use. Reads with the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000 for pressurised chemical plant.
compliance
Great_Britain
Ongoing
Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992
Enforced by:
HSE
Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992
Avoid hazardous manual handling so far as reasonably practicable, then assess and reduce the risk of injury — drums, sacks, IBCs and packaged product are routine in chemical manufacture.
registration
Great_Britain
Ongoing
UK REACH — registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemicals
Enforced by:
HSE
UK REACH Regulation (assimilated Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006); REACH Enforcement Regulations 2008
Manufacturers (and importers) of substances at 1 tonne/year or more must register them with the HSE-run UK REACH service, supply safety data sheets down the chain, and comply with authorisation and restriction requirements. Genuinely division-wide for chemical makers. NI continues to operate EU REACH under the Windsor Framework. Enforced by HSE with the Environment Agency / devolved environmental regulators.
compliance
Great_Britain
Ongoing
GB CLP — classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures
Enforced by:
HSE
GB CLP Regulation (assimilated Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008)
Substances and mixtures placed on the GB market must be classified for their hazards, labelled with the correct pictograms, signal words and hazard/precautionary statements, and packaged safely (including child-resistant fastenings and tactile warnings where required). HSE is the GB CLP agency. NI continues to apply EU CLP under the Windsor Framework.