Law-ref.org REACH - Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals
Site search

responsibility [Global Index]


... 16. This Regulation lays down specific duties and obligations on manufacturers, importers and downstream users of substances on their own, in preparations and in articles. This Regulation is based on the principle that industry should manufacture, import or use substances or place them on the market with such responsibility and care as may be required to ensure that, under reasonably foreseeable conditions, human health and the environment are not adversely affected. ...
... 18. Responsibility for the management of the risks of substances should lie with the natural or legal persons that manufacture, import, place on the market or use these substances. Information on the implementation of this Regulation should be easily accessible, in particular for SMEs. ...
... 25. The responsibility to assess the risks and hazards of substances should be given, in the first place, to the natural or legal persons that manufacture or import substances, but only when they do so in quantities exceeding a certain volume, to enable them to carry the associated burden. Natural or legal persons handling chemicals should take the necessary risk management measures in accordance with the assessment of the risks of substances and pass on relevant recommendations along the supply chain. This should include describing, documenting and notifying in an appropriate and transparent fashion the risks stemming from the production, use and disposal of each substance. ...
... 29. Since producers and importers of articles should be responsible for their articles, it is appropriate to impose a registration requirement on substances which are intended to be released from articles and have not been registered for that use. In the case of substances of very high concern which are present in articles above tonnage and concentration thresholds, where exposure to the substance cannot be excluded and where the substance has not been registered by any person for this use, the Agency should be notified. The Agency should also be empowered to request that a registration be submitted if it has grounds for suspecting that the release of a substance from the article may present a risk to human health or the environment and the substance is present in those articles in quantities totalling over 1 tonne per producer or importer per year. The Agency should consider the need for a proposal for a restriction where it considers that the use of such substances in articles poses a risk to human health or the environment that is not adequately controlled. ...
... 44. In order to provide a harmonised, simple system, all registrations should be submitted to the Agency. To ensure a consistent approach and efficient use of resources, it should perform a completeness check on all registrations and take responsibility for any final rejections of registrations. ...
... 56. Part of the responsibility of manufacturers or importers for the management of the risks of substances is the communication of information on these substances to other professionals such as downstream users or distributors. In addition, producers or importers of articles should supply information on the safe use of articles to industrial and professional users, and consumers on request. This important responsibility should also apply throughout the supply chain to enable all actors to meet their responsibility in relation to management of risks arising from the use of substances. ...
... 56. Part of the responsibility of manufacturers or importers for the management of the risks of substances is the communication of information on these substances to other professionals such as downstream users or distributors. In addition, producers or importers of articles should supply information on the safe use of articles to industrial and professional users, and consumers on request. This important responsibility should also apply throughout the supply chain to enable all actors to meet their responsibility in relation to management of risks arising from the use of substances. ...
... 56. Part of the responsibility of manufacturers or importers for the management of the risks of substances is the communication of information on these substances to other professionals such as downstream users or distributors. In addition, producers or importers of articles should supply information on the safe use of articles to industrial and professional users, and consumers on request. This important responsibility should also apply throughout the supply chain to enable all actors to meet their responsibility in relation to management of risks arising from the use of substances. ...
... 58. In order to have a chain of responsibilities, downstream users should be responsible for assessing the risks arising from their uses of substances if those uses are not covered by a safety data sheet received from their suppliers, unless the downstream user concerned takes more protective measures than those recommended by his supplier or unless his supplier was not required to assess those risks or provide him with information on those risks. For the same reason, downstream users should manage the risks arising from their uses of substances. In addition, it is appropriate that any producer or importer of an article containing a substance of very high concern should provide sufficient information to allow safe use of such an article. ...
... 58. In order to have a chain of responsibilities, downstream users should be responsible for assessing the risks arising from their uses of substances if those uses are not covered by a safety data sheet received from their suppliers, unless the downstream user concerned takes more protective measures than those recommended by his supplier or unless his supplier was not required to assess those risks or provide him with information on those risks. For the same reason, downstream users should manage the risks arising from their uses of substances. In addition, it is appropriate that any producer or importer of an article containing a substance of very high concern should provide sufficient information to allow safe use of such an article. ...
... 86. It should be the responsibility of the manufacturer, importer and downstream user to identify the appropriate risk management measures needed to ensure a high level of protection for human health and the environment from the manufacturing, placing on the market or use of a substance on its own, in a preparation or in an article. However, where this is considered to be insufficient and where Community legislation is justified, appropriate restrictions should be laid down. ...
... 105. In the light of the increased responsibility of natural or legal persons for ensuring safe use of chemicals, enforcement needs to be strengthened. The Agency should therefore provide a Forum for Member States to exchange information on and to coordinate their activities related to the enforcement of chemicals legislation. The currently informal cooperation between Member States in this respect would benefit from a more formal framework. ...


ARTICLE-3: Definitions     [go to this ARTICLE]
... 11) Importer: means any natural or legal person established within the Community who is responsible for import; ...


ARTICLE-4: General provision     [go to this ARTICLE]
... Any manufacturer, importer, or where relevant downstream user, may, whilst retaining full responsibility for complying with his obligations under this Regulation, appoint a third party representative for all proceedings under Article 11, Article 19, Title III and Article 53 involving discussions with other manufacturers, importers, or where relevant downstream users. In these cases, the identity of a manufacturer or importer or downstream user who has appointed a representative shall not normally be disclosed by the Agency to other manufacturers, importers, or, where relevant, downstream users. ...


ARTICLE-22: Further duties of registrants     [go to this ARTICLE]
... 1. Following registration, a registrant shall be responsible on his own initiative for updating his registration without undue delay with relevant new information and submitting it to the Agency in the following cases: ...


ARTICLE-36: Obligation to keep information     [go to this ARTICLE]
... 2. In the event of a registrant, downstream user or distributor ceasing activity, or transferring part or all of his operations to a third party, the party responsible for liquidating the registrant, downstream user or distributor's undertaking or assuming responsibility for the placing on the market of the substance or preparation concerned shall be bound by the obligation in paragraph 1 in place of the registrant, downstream user or distributor. ...
... 2. In the event of a registrant, downstream user or distributor ceasing activity, or transferring part or all of his operations to a third party, the party responsible for liquidating the registrant, downstream user or distributor's undertaking or assuming responsibility for the placing on the market of the substance or preparation concerned shall be bound by the obligation in paragraph 1 in place of the registrant, downstream user or distributor. ...


ARTICLE-45: Competent authority     [go to this ARTICLE]
... 1. The Agency shall be responsible for coordinating the substance evaluation process and ensuring that substances on the Community rolling action plan are evaluated. In doing so, the Agency shall rely on the competent authorities of Member States. In carrying out an evaluation of a substance, the competent authorities may appoint another body to act on their behalf. ...


ARTICLE-60: Granting of authorisations     [go to this ARTICLE]
... 1. The Commission shall be responsible for taking decisions on applications for authorisations in accordance with this Title. ...


ARTICLE-76: Composition     [go to this ARTICLE]
... (a) a Management Board, which shall exercise the responsibilities set out in Article 78; ...
... (b) an Executive Director, who shall exercise the responsibilities set out in Article 83; ...
... (c) a Committee for Risk Assessment, which shall be responsible for preparing the opinion of the Agency on evaluations, applications for authorisation, proposals for restrictions and proposals for classification and labelling under Title XI and any other questions that arise from the operation of this Regulation relating to risks to human health or the environment; ...
... (d) a Committee for Socio-economic Analysis, which shall be responsible for preparing the opinion of the Agency on applications for authorisation, proposals for restrictions, and any other questions that arise from the operation of this Regulation relating to the socio-economic impact of possible legislative action on substances; ...
... (e) a Member State Committee, which shall be responsible for resolving potential divergences of opinions on draft decisions proposed by the Agency or the Member States under Title VI and proposals for identification of substances of very high concern to be subjected to the authorisation procedure under Title VII; (f) a Forum for Exchange of Information on Enforcement (hereinafter referred to as "the Forum") which shall coordinate a network of Member States authorities responsible for enforcement of this Regulation; ...
... (e) a Member State Committee, which shall be responsible for resolving potential divergences of opinions on draft decisions proposed by the Agency or the Member States under Title VI and proposals for identification of substances of very high concern to be subjected to the authorisation procedure under Title VII; (f) a Forum for Exchange of Information on Enforcement (hereinafter referred to as "the Forum") which shall coordinate a network of Member States authorities responsible for enforcement of this Regulation; ...


ARTICLE-83: Duties and powers of the Executive Director     [go to this ARTICLE]
... 2. The Executive Director shall be the legal representative of the Agency. He shall be responsible for: ...


ARTICLE-85: Establishment of the Committees     [go to this ARTICLE]
... 7. The Member States shall refrain from giving the members of the Committee for Risk Assessment or of the Committee for Socio-Economic Analysis, or their scientific and technical advisers and experts, any instruction which is incompatible with the individual tasks of those persons or with the tasks, responsibilities and independence of the Agency. ...


ARTICLE-86: Establishment of the Forum     [go to this ARTICLE]
... 3. The members of the Forum shall be supported by the scientific and technical resources available to the competent authorities of the Member States. Each Member State competent authority shall facilitate the activities of the Forum and its working groups. The Member States shall refrain from giving the Forum members, or their scientific and technical advisers and experts any instruction which is incompatible with the individual tasks of those persons or with the tasks and responsibilities of the Forum. ...


ARTICLE-87: Rapporteurs of Committees and use of experts     [go to this ARTICLE]
... 5. The Agency may use the services of experts for the discharge of other specific tasks for which it is responsible. ...


ARTICLE-97: Implementation of the budget of the Agency     [go to this ARTICLE]
... 5. On receipt of the Court of Auditors' observations on the Agency's provisional accounts, pursuant to Article 129 of Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002, the Executive Director shall draw up the Agency's final accounts under his own responsibility and forward them to the Management Board for an opinion. ...


ARTICLE-98: Combating fraud     [go to this ARTICLE]
... 3. The decisions concerning funding and the implementing agreements and instruments resulting from them shall explicitly stipulate that the Court of Auditors and OLAF may carry out, if necessary, on-the-spot checks of the recipients of the Agency's funding and the agents responsible for allocating it. ...


ARTICLE-113: Obligation to notify the Agency     [go to this ARTICLE]
... (a) the identity(ies) of the manufacturer(s), producer(s) of articles or importer(s) responsible for placing the substance(s) on the market as specified in section 1 of Annex VI; ...


ARTICLE-121: Appointment     [go to this ARTICLE]
... Member States shall appoint the competent authority or competent authorities responsible for performing the tasks allotted to competent authorities under this Regulation and for cooperating with the Commission and the Agency in the implementation of this Regulation. Member States shall place adequate resources at the disposal of the competent authorities to enable them, in conjunction with any other available resources, to fulfil their tasks under this Regulation in a timely and effective manner. ...


ARTICLE-124: Other responsibilities     [go to this ARTICLE]
... Other responsibilities ...
... Competent authorities shall submit electronically to the Agency any available information that they hold on substances registered in accordance with Article 12(1) whose dossiers do not contain the full information referred to in Annex VII, in particular whether enforcement or monitoring activities have identified suspicions of risk. The competent authority shall update this information as appropriate. Member States shall establish national helpdesks to provide advice to manufacturers, importers, downstream users and any other interested parties on their respective responsibilities and obligations under this Regulation, in particular in relation to the registration of substances in accordance with Article 12(1), in addition to the operational guidance documents provided by the Agency under Article 77(2)(g). ...