Environment ministry to brief industry on chemical safety rules in five regions

South Korea's environment ministry said Tuesday it will hold a series of briefings for chemical companies from Oct. 14 to Nov. 2, as amended rules on protecting confidential business data take effect under the country's chemical registration law.

The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment and the Korea Environment Corporation are jointly hosting the sessions to help manufacturers, importers, consulting firms and users of hazard-information databases comply with the revised regime. The briefings follow the July 29 enforcement of amended provisions governing how companies request protection for data they submit.

The sessions will run regionally: Cheongju on Oct. 14 for the central region, Seoul on Oct. 21 for the capital and Gangwon areas, Daegu on Oct. 22 for the Daegu-North Gyeongsang area, Busan on Oct. 23 for the Busan-Ulsan-South Gyeongsang area, and Yeosu on Nov. 2 for the Gwangju-Jeolla region. Capacity ranges from 50 people in Daegu to 300 in Seoul.

The first part of each session covers the amended rules on preparing data-protection requests and managing protected materials, including the procedure for companies whose previously submitted data becomes subject to public disclosure because of the legal revision. It will also introduce support programs for companies struggling to meet obligations under the Chemical Substances Control Act. The second part offers practical training on the chemical information processing system used for reporting new chemical substances, along with basic instruction on predicting chemical hazards and strategies for using the government's hazard-information database in day-to-day work. One-on-one consultation desks will be available so companies can raise difficulties they face in complying with the rules.

Registration is open through notices posted on the Industry Help Center and the hazardous chemical facility inspection and management system. Materials from the sessions will be posted on the Industry Help Center website for companies unable to attend.

"I hope this briefing helps industry understand the amendments to the chemical substances rules more easily and raises the practical capacity needed for reporting, registration and the use of hazard information," said Chung Kyung-hwa, head of the ministry's chemical substances policy division. "We will continue to support companies in smoothly implementing the chemical substances rules."