By now, 17,000 domestic enterprises, 730 import companies, and 12,000 major hazard sources are registered with SAWS. The chemical accident emergency response hotline, set up by NRCC, has received more than 100,000 calls; inquiries including chemical fire, chemical leak, chemical explosion, and first aid management of poisoning cases.
China SAWS has placed high priority on the promotion of hazardous chemical management. Last year it launched a GIS-based system where government at all levels apply for data about major hazard sources. This system has provided solid technical support and greatly facilitated daily supervision and emergency rescue.
Major laws and regulations on hazardous chemicals registration include:
“Convention concerning Safety in the Use of Chemicals at Work” (No.170 international convention, approved in October 1994)
“Safe Management of Hazardous Chemicals in China”(Decree 591, issued in 2011
“The measures for the administration of registration of hazardous chemicals”( SAWS order 53)
*Please note that the Hazardous Chemical Safety Law is still in progress, according to Guo Zongzhou from the NRCC, SAWS. It is expected that the new law will expand on the scope of hazardous chemical management. However, no official release date has been provided yet.
To further progress the management of hazardous chemicals, the first batch of 11 laboratories qualified for physical hazard identification of chemicals was released by SAWS in 2016 (see chemlinked news). Another supporting document the Catalogue of Substances Exempted from Physical Hazards Identification and Classification (1st batch) was published later at the end of 2016.
During the registration of hazardous chemicals, there are some frequent problems that you should be aware. When filling in the name of your chemical that is not in the Inventory of Hazardous Chemicals, you are suggested to include a description of its function too. For example, please use “抗凝剂CY-01”(anticoagulation CY-01) rather than “CY-01”.
If chemicals have the same components, the same or similar trade name and more importantly, their different concentrations do not change the hazard category, then they can be registered as one chemical. Also, it should include the concentration scope of any hazardous components. When the different concentrations change the hazard category, then the chemicals must be registered as different chemicals.
