The United Kingdom’s (UK) Health and Safety Executive (HSE) announced on March 21, 2025, that it has published the following annual report and work program on activities under the UK regulation on the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (UK REACH): The UK REACH Report provides a summary of achievements, including: Topic Deliverable Target Outcome Registration Complete the processing of all Article 26 inquiries and, within three weeks of receipt, all new UK...
Category: UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®), its global consulting affiliate The Acta Group (Acta®), and consortia management affiliate B&C® Consortia Management, L.L.C. (BCCM) are pleased to share with you our 2025 Forecast. For all the reasons you might imagine, our seasoned team was especially challenged this year in speculating on what to expect in 2025 regarding global industrial, agricultural, and biocidal chemical regulatory and policy initiatives. Given the European Parliamentary...
The United Kingdom’s (UK) Health and Safety Executive (HSE) announced in its January 17, 2024, UK REACH ebulletin that it recommended that diisohexyl phthalate (DIHxP) be added to the list of substances subject to authorization (Annex 14) for UK REACH. As reported in our October 13, 2023, blog item, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) prioritized DIHxP and included DIHxP in its April 12, 2023, recommendation for the inclusion of substances in the European Union (EU)...
During the United Kingdom (UK) Chemicals Stakeholder Forum’s (UKCSF) July 20, 2023, meeting, UKCSF received updates from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) on UK REACH. According to the UKCSF Chemicals policy and regulation update, Defra, along with Welsh and Scottish governments, worked with HSE, the Environment Agency, and a wide range of stakeholders, including non-governmental organizations (NGO) and trade associations,...
June 28, 2023
Registration Now Open for “Preparing a PFAS Game Plan in the U.S., the UK, and the EU” Webinar
10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. (EDT)4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. (CEST) REGISTER NOW Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are attracting global legal, regulatory, commercial, and litigation attention as no other “emerging contaminant” has. Companies producing, processing, distributing, and/or using these substances must be aware of these global legal developments and take steps now to minimize legal, regulatory, and commercial risk. In the United States and globally, the number...
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) announced on June 8, 2023, that it is recommending the restriction of hazardous substances in ink used for tattooing and permanent makeup (PMU) in Great Britain (GB). HSE states that the proposed restriction would target substances classified for carcinogenicity, mutagenicity, reproductive toxicity, skin sensitization, skin corrosion, and serious eye damage. HSE proposes concentration limits of substances in tattoo ink and PMU based on those established in...
June 6, 2023
HSE Proposes to Include Substances in UK REACH Substance Evaluation Rolling Action Plan
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has proposed to include three substances in the rolling action plan (RAP) for 2023 to 2025. HSE states that it has “sought to complement rather than replicate evaluation work that has been or will be performed by other regulatory regimes” (such as via the European Union’s (EU) Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation). According to HSE, its intention is to increase its overall understanding of the...
On April 4, 2023, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) published a regulatory management options analysis (RMOA) for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The RMOA is a preliminary step used within the UK Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) framework. The RMOA collates, combines, and analyzes information on the nature and extent of exposure to chemical substances, and it considers existing laws and also how PFAS are being managed around the world,...
November 4, 2022
UK Parliament Environmental Audit Committee Seeks Stakeholder Views on Implementation of UK REACH
The Environmental Audit Committee of the United Kingdom (UK) Parliament announced on November 1, 2022, that it is planning an oral evidence session later in 2022 to examine progress in implementing UK REACH, which governs the registration, evaluation, and authorization of chemical products in England, Scotland, and Wales. The Committee plans to take evidence from representatives of the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). In advance...
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has published two calls for evidence on amending Annex 14 of UK REACH to include the following substances: Dicyclohexyl phthalate (DCHP); and Disodium octaborate. In December 2021, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) recommended which substances of very high concern (SVHC) are a priority for inclusion in Annex 14. Following HSE’s recommendation, the appropriate authorities (Defra Secretary of State, Scottish and Welsh ministers)...
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) recently published the UK REACH Work Programme 2022/23. The work programme sets out the activity that HSE, supported by the Environment Agency and other relevant agencies, will carry out to operate UK REACH. To complement the publication of the work programme, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has published the rationale used for identifying particular substances for potential regulatory action under UK REACH in 2022 to...
By Lynn L. Bergeson and Carla N. Hutton The United Kingdom (UK) Health and Safety Executive (HSE) announced on May 6, 2022, the beginning of a six-month public consultation on restriction proposals on lead in ammunition and substances in tattoo inks and permanent make-up (PMU). According to its press release, HSE proposed the restriction on lead in ammunition after identifying there is an unacceptable risk to human health and the environment that is not adequately...
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) recommends that MeiraGTx UK II Limited receive a 12-year review period for its use of 4-(1,1,3,3-tetramethylbutyl)phenol, ethoxylated (4-tert-OPnEO). The applicant uses the substance as a manufacturing aid in the production of gene therapy products at its manufacturing facility in London, UK. 4-ter-OPnEO is known to have endocrine-disrupting properties in the environment. The use applied for may result in <100 grams per year releases of the substance to...
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the agency for the United Kingdom (UK) REACH, has created a Rolling Action Plan (RAP) to increase understanding of the hazard and risk profile of two substances on the Great Britain (GB) market. HSE states that “we have sought to complement rather than replicate evaluation work that has been or will be performed by other regulatory regimes (such as via EU REACH).” The two substances that have been added...
The Acta Group’s (Acta®) March 23, 2022, webinar “UK REACH, What’s Happened and What’s Next?” is now available for on-demand viewing at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/recording/815913916012295937. During this 1-hour webinar, Lynn L. Bergeson, President, Acta; Steven P. Brennan, Ph.D., Senior Manager, REACH, Acta; and Jane S. Vergnes, Ph.D., DABT®, Vice President, Scientific Affairs and Director of Toxicology, Acta discussed the significant implications for chemical...
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), in conjunction with the Environment Agency, has assessed 11 substances and substance groups that were added to the EU REACH Candidate List. As a result, the agencies have identified the following four substances, or substance groups, that require regulatory management options analysis (RMOA): Substance Name Identified Uses Dioctyltin dilaurate, stannane, dioctyl-, bis(coco acyloxy) derivs., and any other stannane, dioctyl-, bis(fatty acyloxy) derivs....
Companies worldwide must be aware of the significant implications for chemical regulatory compliance under the United Kingdom (UK) REACH regulation as the UK has completed its first year of complete separation from the European Union (EU). Companies should act quickly to understand their rights and obligations under UK REACH to maintain continuity of their supply chains and market access. “UK REACH, What’s Happened and What’s Next?” will delve into these important issues with The Acta...