Safe use of polyurethane products

In August 2020, the new REACH restriction regulation for diisocyanates was published in the Official Journal of the European Union. The aim of the restriction is to prevent possible skin and respiratory sensitization caused by diisocyanates. Safety training is required for this purpose.

All commercial and industrial users of diisocyanates are affected and must complete safety training in order to continue working with these products.

No, the restriction does not constitute a ban on diisocyanates, but all users of diisocyanates must have completed the necessary training by August 24, 2023, at the latest, and must be able to show a training certificate in order to continue working with diisocyanates.

It has been known for several years that diisocyanates can cause sensitization of the skin and respiratory tract after skin contact. This means that persons may show allergic reactions after exposure. In extreme cases, this can lead to (temporary) respiratory problems when the person comes into contact with the substance.

For this reason, the EU has legislated via the diisocyanate restriction that all professional users of diisocyanates must be trained and personally certified by August 24, 2023 at the latest. This training must be repeated every 5 years.

In principle, this regulation is only valid in the EU member states, but also in the United Kingdom (England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland) and the EEA states Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.

In Switzerland, there is no legal requirement, but the FSK (Fachverband Klebstoffindustrie Schweiz) nevertheless recommends training to its members.

All 1C and 2C PUR products of the UZIN, codex and Arturo brands are affected. The following notice is clearly displayed on the label of the products: "As of August 24, 2023, appropriate training must be provided prior to industrial or commercial use."

e.g. Pall-X 333, Pall-X Pure, Magic Oil 2K.

No, Pallmann parquet sealers and varnishes/oils do not fall under the restriction because their content of monomeric diisocyanates is below 0.1% and they are therefore exempt from the restriction regulation.

Therefore, no training or certification is required for the processing of these products. However, if other products containing diisocyanates, such as PUR adhesives, are also processed, then this exemption does not apply.

As the owner of a craft business, you must ensure that all your employees who process products containing diisocyanates are trained and have the training certificate by August 24, 2023 at the latest. Your employees must repeat this training every 5 years.

The training for floor, parquet and tile layers (course 049) takes place via the online portal at www.safeusediisocyanates.eu/de/selbstlernen and lasts approx. 60 minutes including the 10 exam questions at the end. You will receive a personalized certificate, which is valid as proof of the completed training, for downloading directly afterwards.

The training is free of charge with the voucher code given above.

By registering for the training (see link above), a registration with idloom.passport takes place automatically. This will facilitate future trainings.

Processors of products containing diisocyanates may no longer process these products without training after August 24, 2023. Violations of the training obligation are considered an administrative offense and may be subject to a fine.

Checks can be carried out, for example, by the employers' liability insurance associations at construction sites. If violations are found (missing training certificates), the work can be stopped.

Yes, that makes sense, firstly because you very likely also handle products containing diisocyanates, and secondly because you can then also provide your employees with assistance in handling these products correctly.

No, the training obligation does not apply to the processing of epoxy resins, but the protective measures for the safe handling of diisocyanates are also transferable to epoxy resins.

As a UZIN UTZ customer, you will receive a voucher code from us (see above), which you can use to participate in the online training free of charge. If you have any further questions, please contact your technical advisor or our customer service at 0731 / 4097-301 or isocyanate@uzin-utz.com.

The online training portal will provide training materials in all EU languages.

There is no reason to do so because, on the one hand, PUR products have important technical properties that differently formulated products may not have, and on the other hand, the products can be processed absolutely safely, provided the protective measures in the safety data sheet are carefully observed. These products are also absolutely safe for the end user, since diisocyanates are converted into absolutely harmless and de facto emission-free polyurethanes within a few hours by the curing process.

Training is required for all persons who process or otherwise come into contact with products containing diisocyanates, even if only sporadically. Persons who do not come into contact with diisocyanate-containing products at any time do not need to be trained.

You should pass on the information you receive from UZIN UTZ to your customers. As a dealer, on the other hand, you are not required to undergo training as long as you do not also process the products commercially yourself.

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