Standardised safety advice for the label
To protect both the user and the environment, packaging that contains hazardous substances or hazardous mixtures must carry a label if the substances or mixtures are to be placed on the market, used in a professional setting or if work is to be carried out with them. This labelling consists of several elements, including the safety information. Here, we inform you about its content.
P270 Do not eat, drink or smoke during use.
Precautionary statements form a compulsory components of labels as prescribed by Regulation (EC) no. 1272/2008 on the Classification, Labelling and Packaging of Substances and Mixtures - the CLP Regulation.
Precautionary statements are identical worldwide.
The commonly called "P-statements" consist of relevant precautionary statements: In this context, the letter "P" stands for "precaution". Internationally agreed upon wordings have been compiled for these statements, which have to be stated on the label using the exact, or only a slightly different wording. Annex IV of the CLP Regulation provides two overviews: A matrix of recommended safety precautions is given in Annex IV, Part 1.The matrix provides guidance for selecting which precautionary statement, possibly as a combined statement, is appropriate for which hazard property. Part 2 lists all P-statements in numerical order and contains the text version to be used in principle according to Article 22(4) of the CLP Regulation.
When using safety instructions, combinations and summaries of safety instructions allow some leeway to save space on the label and improve readability.
The combined precautionary statements set out in Part 1 of Annex IV are examples of combinations of precautionary statements. Suppliers may continue to combine and summarise statements on their own responsibility, provided that this contributes to the clarity and comprehensibility of the labelling information in accordance with Articles 22 and 28(3) (number of statements) of the CLP Regulation.
Although CLP Article 22(4) specifies how the precautionary statements should be phrased, they may deviate slightly from the specified text on the label or in the safety data sheet. This deviation is allowed if it makes the understanding of the safety information more practical and appropriate, but does not weaken or compromise the safety information.
Example:
Combined precautionary statements P303 + P361 + P353.
According to the coding in Annex IV of the CLP Regulation, the text reads:
IN CASE OF CONTACT WITH SKIN (or hair):
Remove all contaminated clothing immediately. Wash skin with water [or shower].
(If a text is in square brackets, it means that this text only applies in certain cases. Explanations of when to include this text can be found in the matrix).
Thus, taking into account possible textual changes, if the supplier deems it appropriate, the combined safety notice may read as follows:
- IN CASE OF CONTACT WITH SKIN (or hair): Immediately remove all contaminated clothing. Wash skin with water or shower.
or
- IN CASE OF CONTACT WITH SKIN (or hair): Remove all contaminated clothing immediately. Shower.
The current German version of the P-statements (20th version, ATP; Regulation (EU) 2023/1435) can be downloaded on this homepage. The implementation of the four new EU hazard classes in the CLP Regulation does not affect Annex IV of the CLP Regulation. The P-statements assigned to the EU hazard classes are all already available in this Annex.