Muscat: A new ministerial decision regarding the regulation of hazardous chemicals has been issued by the Environment Authority.
His Excellency Dr. Abdullah Al-Omari, Chairman of the Environment Authority, issued Decision No. 50/2023 regarding the issuance of a regulation for hazardous chemicals.
The first article of the decision stipulates that the provisions of the attached regulations shall be applied in the matter of regulating hazardous chemicals.
Article 2 also stipulates the cancellation of ministerial decisions No. 248/97, 317/2001, 14/2017, and everything that contradicts the regulations or their provisions.
The first chapter of the regulations included definitions and general provisions, including the definition of the environmental permit, which is the approval issued by the Authority for the practice of dealing with hazardous chemicals.
The definition of an authorised person is any person, natural or legal, who has an environmental permit.
It also includes the definition of a hazardous chemical: it is any substance that has a specific and fixed chemical composition. It may be an element, a compound, or a mixture, and it can transform into the three states of matter (gas, liquid, or solid) under different pressures and temperatures. Additionally, it is classified as a dangerous substance according to accredited international classifications.
In addition, the definition of the chemical mark card (SDS) was given, which is the written, printed or drawn information issued by the authority of origin that shows all data and information related to the hazardous chemical, such as its composition, properties, how to deal with it, methods of storage, and necessary precautions to avoid danger, or reduce it in normal or emergency cases.
The regulation also includes details of the environmental permits, the obligations of the permittee, the powers of the authority and administrative penalties.
