title: [REACH: the guidance documents of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA)].
abstract: ECHA provides numerous Guidance Documents for the implementation of the REACH Regulation, emphasising that this Regulation is the only authentic legal reference. Furthermore, ECHA states that information in the Guidance Documents does not constitute legal advice and that public authorities do not accept any liability for the contents of these documents. Consequently, the companies themselves are responsible for the correct implementation of REACH. Because of their enormous volume and complexity, full knowledge of the contents of all Guidance Documents is not possible. Guidance Documents provide help with certain questions about REACH implementation. Companies complying with the REACH Regulation must be allowed to deviate from guidance. Furthermore, authorities cannot simply use the Guidance Documents for enforcement. Their decisions must be based on the Regulation. This publication describes the aims, goals and legal status of Guidance Documents. Problems concerning the comprehensibility of guidance and conformity with the REACH Regulation are discussed based on the examples of substance identification and chemical safety assessment.
authors.affiliation: Verband der Chemischen Industrie e.V. (VCI), Frankfurt, BRD. Lulei@VCI.de
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lulei
mesh_terms: D002617:Chemical Industry / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000592:standards*; D003257:Consumer Product Safety / Q000592:standards*; D004282:Documentation / Q000592:standards*; D005062:European Union / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006078:Government Programs / Q000458:organization & administration*; D033161:Government Regulation; D015386:Hazardous Substances / Q000145:classification / Q000592:standards / Q000633:toxicity*; D012042:Registries; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D012307:Risk Factors; D014116:Toxicology / Q000592:standards*
chemical_list: D015386:Hazardous Substances