Reach

Workers have a right to safe and healthy working conditions. In this context, the REACH Regulation, laying down rules for marketing and using chemicals in Europe, is undoubtedly one of the most far-reaching legislative reforms of the last 20 years. It enhances European competitiveness while giving improved protection to human health and the environment. Trade unions had a big hand in framing the legislation and remain influential in making it work.

The ETUC, together with the ETUI, continues to work to identify threats to human health such as endocrine disruptors and nanomaterials, for example, and to press for tighter regulation of hazardous materials.

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  • 13.10.2015 Publication

    REACH 2018 - Call to action! Joint OSHA/ECHA/ETUC Campaign for workers' reps

    The ETUC togheter with OSHA and ECHA published a leaflet dedicated to workers’ reps in companies manufacturing, importing or using chemicals. The REACH Regulation requires companies manufacturing or importing chemical substances into the EU, Iceland, Norway or Liechtenstein in quantities of one tonne or more per year to register them with ECHA. If information on the hazardous properties of the chemical is unavailable, it should be generated and safety data sheets should be updated if needed.
  • 25.01.2013 Page

    REACH

    


 


 After almost 10 years of intense debate at European level, the reform of the EU legislation on chemicals was finally adopted by the European


 Parliament and Council in December 2006. 


 


 Under REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemical substances), companies manufacturing or importing chemical


  • 25.01.2013 Page

    Information leaflet on REACH aimed at workers' reps

    
 
 The two information leaflets have been prepared, in collaboration with the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, addressed to employers which will be channeled through the union and worker representation routes.

 

 - The first leaflet 2012 provides a simple checklist on the actions to be undertaken by companies importing, producing or using chemicals to ensure they comply with EU legislation.

  • 25.01.2013 Press release

    REACH obligations: trade unions again help to raise awareness in companies

    Brussels, 25/01/2013
 
 REACH says that companies manufacturing or importing chemicals into the EU in quantities of 100 tonnes or more per year have to register them by 31 May 2013 and that companies using hazardous substances registered under REACH have to take steps to use them safely.
 
  • 13.09.2010 Press release

    ETUC and EMCEF alert their members to act as REACH and CLP ambassadors in companies

    Brussels, 13/09/2010
 
 “I am confident that the successful implementation of these new laws will not only help enhance the competitiveness of the European chemical industry, but also deliver better protection for workers, consumers and the environment”, said Joël Decaillon, ETUC Deputy General Secretary. 
 
  • 13.07.2010 Press release

    REACH: ETUC updates its Priority List for Authorisation

    Brussels, 13/07/2010 The Trade Union List version 2.0 includes 334 substances or group of substances ordered by priority, this represents 29 new entries compared to the first version published in March 2009. Most of these substances are identified as causative agents for recognised occupational diseases in the EU countries.
  • 03.03.2010 Press release

    ETUC and EMCEF join REACH and CLP Regulations information drive

    Brussels, 03/03/2010
 
 REACH says that industrial operators must register any substances they manufacture or import in quantities above one tonne a year with the new European Chemicals Agency. The CLP (Classification, Labelling, Packaging) Regulation says they have to notify ECHA of the classification and labelling of all hazardous substances they place on the market, no matter what the production volume. 
 
  • 31.03.2009 Press release

    ETUC earmarks priority chemicals for REACH authorisation

    Brussels, 31/03/2009
 
 Chemicals bring benefits with which our society could not do without and there is no denying that the EU chemicals industry also contributes to our economic prosperity in terms of trade and jobs. However, European workers pay a high price for the use of chemicals in workplaces. About one in three of the occupational diseases recognised each year in Europe is due to the exposure to hazardous chemicals, according to the ETUI study REACHing the workplace.
 
  • 03.06.2008 Press release

    The ETUC will contribute to the information campaign on the REACH regulation

    Brussels, 03/06/2008 The ETUC plans to draw on all its member organisations and their thousands of elected representatives in most companies in Europe to distribute its own information material on REACH, as well as the information provided by the European Commission. The ETUC is a key player in the success of REACH. It is the only organisation capable of reaching, through workers' representatives, the greatest number of companies in Europe, irrespective of their size.
  • 13.12.2006 Press release

    European Parliament adopts REACH: completing an important step forward

    Brussels, 13/12/2006 The law as adopted puts the burden of proof firmly on producers for the 30 000 substances covered by the reform. “That marks clear progress, because industry will now have to provide information on the safety of their chemicals before they can put them on the market”, said Joel Decaillon, the ETUC's confederal secretary with policy responsibility for REACH.
  • 10.10.2006 Press release

    REACH: ETUC calls on Council to go with Parliament on substitution principle

    Brussels, 10/10/2006 Environment Committee MEPs today endorsed by a large majority Parliament's first reading position on the application of the substitution principle in REACH. The ETUC welcomes this vote, because the rule is wholly in line with European Carcinogens Directive 2004/37/EC which requires employers to replace these dangerous substances where a safer alternative is available.
  • 19.09.2006 Press release

    REACH must give workers better health protection

    Brussels, 19/06/2006 Under REACH, authorisations can be granted to use substances of very high concern like carcinogens. But the European Carcinogens Directive says employers must replace these substances by safer alternatives. Are we heading for a clash between these two sets of laws? This kind of issue on how REACH links up with Community health and safety at work legislation loomed large in the discussions between the 160-plus attendees, who included representatives from the European Parliament, Council, Commission, industry and NGOs.
  • 28.06.2006 Speech

    UIL Congress ( Italian Union of Labour - Italy)

    Rome, 28/06/2006 To be checked against delivery President, delegates, fellow guests, thank you for this invitation to tell you about the ETUC's ambitions for a stronger Europe and for a strong ETUC. For us, Europe is essential to our collective futures. An ambitious, powerful ETUC must be a central ingredient.
  • 13.12.2005 Press release

    REACH: Member States conclude agreement on a text that lacks ambition

    Brussels, 13/12/2005 The ETUC welcomes the agreement reached on Tuesday at the extraordinary meeting of the Competitiveness Council because it sets Europe firmly on the road to an economy that takes greater account of the health and environmental impacts of the chemicals industry.
  • 08.04.2004 Press release

    ETUC welcomes the European Commission's new chemicals initiative: REACH

    Brussels, 08/04/2004 The ETUC welcomes the European Commission proposal to reform EU legislation on chemicals: REACH The draft REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals) regulation is an important step forward in protecting workers, the public in general and the environment, from the potential dangers posed by some 30,000 chemical substances manufactured or imported into the European Union in quantities of one tonne or more each year.