Important Information Regarding Polyurethane (PU) products

Posted on: 22nd June 2023

The Restriction on Diisocyanates, as set out in Annex XVII (74) to the European Regulation (EC) N° 1907/2006 (REACH), introducing new mandatory training requirements for all workers handling diisocyanates and mixtures containing diisocyanates in Polyurethane (PU) products, will be applying from 24 August 2023.

As most of the stakeholders of the PU adhesives and sealants Supply Chain, Alpha is welcoming this new Restriction as an important step to enhance and harmonize the level of protection of workers using diisocyanates across the EU.

What are the Training Requirements?

As of 24 August 2023, training is required for all professional and industrial users of PU adhesives and sealant products with a total monomeric diisocyanate concentration of > 0.1%.

• Suppliers of diisocyanates shall ensure that the recipient is provided with training materials and courses in the official language(s) of the Member State(s) where the substance(s) or mixture(s) are supplied.
• Employers are responsible for ensuring that their employees have successfully completed the training on the safe use of diisocyanates prior to the use of the substance or mixture. The training shall take into consideration the specificity of the products supplied, including composition, packaging and application conditions.

Link to the detailed Conditions of restriction:
https://echa.europa.eu/documents/10162/503ac424-3bcb-137b-9247-09e41eb6dd5a

 Training Platform

FEICA, in coordination with the European Diisocyanate & Polyol Producers Association (ISOPA), the European Aliphatic Isocyanates Producer Association (ALIPA), and several other industries in the polyurethane industry, launched a comprehensive training program (either e-Learning or in-person classroom formats) to ensure the safe use of diisocyanates for producers and professional users all over Europe. Training is currently available in 6 languages (more to come on a rolling-basis until the end of 2022).

Link to the PU Training Platform: https://safeusediisocyanates.eu/

FEICA Voucher Code

The FEICA European Executive Board made the decision to financially support the training of professional and industrial users of polyurethane (PU) adhesives and sealants.

By using a FEICA voucher code the web-based training for adhesives and sealants applications (priced at 5 euros per user/certificate) will be free of charge for end users.

After selecting your application sector on the PU Training Platform at https://safeusediisocyanates.eu/, available trainings for your selection will display. Register and enter the FEICA voucher code FEICA_21_G in the “Tickets” tab.

Should you have any further questions about the training platform and its functionalities, please contact the Help Center at https://www.safeusediisocyanates.eu/help-center or by email via main@isopa.org

Further information on the safe use of diisocyanates in the adhesive and sealants industry can be found on this FEICA webpage https://www.feica.eu/our-priorities/safe-use-diisocyanates

Should you have any product-related questions, feel free to contact us. We will be pleased to assist you.