Following a vote in favour of new proposals to establish an unambiguous link between the products a company places on the market and the information a poison centre holds, the European Commission will be enforcing new changes to product labelling during a staggered transition phase starting in 2020.
From this date, a new 16 character alpha-numerical UFI (unique formula identifier) will be required on all hazardous products placed on the market by importers and downstream users. The code, which needs to be submitted along with all necessary product information to poison centres, will need to contain specific details including trade name, uses of product, chemical composition, colour, pH, packaging, product category and toxicological information.
The purpose of this new mandatory requirement is to assist poison centres in diagnosing and giving advice in an emergency situation where they will be able to quickly and easily identify the composition of a hazardous mixture in order to offer the appropriate advice and support.
According to CLP Article 45(4) currently, in up to 40% of calls to poison centres, staff have difficulties identifying the chemical composition of the mixture in question.
Ultimately, the aim of new UFI requirement will be to place a clear and transparent link between the information on your product label and SDS and the information held with the poison centre, providing them with instant access to the chemical compositions so the right advice can be easily given to medical staff, consumers, workers and the public.
What are the deadlines?
The dates for when the new unique formula identifiers become mandatory are phased depending on their use.
Consumer use: 1st January 2020
Professional use: 1st January 2021
Industrial use: 1st January 2024
From these dates the UFI will need to be clearly presented on the product label along with the usual CLP information. If a product does not normally come with a product label i.e in some industrial applications, then the UFI will need to be contained on the safety data sheet.
There are a couple of ways to create your UFI. Firstly, you can visit the ECHA’s website where you will find the UFI generator. For this you’ll need your VAT number and a formulation code that has been given to your chemical mixture. Alternatively, and this option is best if you have a portfolio of thousands of products, you can integrate the UFI generator into your own IT system, allowing you to generate multiple numbers at once.
There is still plenty of time before these changes come into force but the best advice is to start early in order to ensure all products are registered, listed and their labels are up to date with the correct information.
For more information on the new unique formula identifier or for general details about poison centres, visit the ECHA website.
