China Regulations on the Safety Management of Hazardous Chemicals (Decree No. 591)

China's "Regulations on the Safety Management of Hazardous Chemicals" (State Council Decree No. 591, commonly known as "Decree 591") is China's most fundamental hazardous-chemicals law, uniformly governing the safety management of all stages of production, storage, use, sale, and transport of hazardous chemicals within China, as well as their import and export. First enacted in 1987 and revised in 2002 (Decree No. 344), it underwent a major overhaul that dramatically tightened safety standards and enforcement power, resulting in the current "Decree 591" (effective December 1, 2011). It is a core regulatory requirement for any company exporting to or selling locally in China products falling under the "Catalogue of Hazardous Chemicals" (roughly 2,800 substances with hazardous properties), including inks, paints, adhesives, and cleaning agents. Core obligations for manufacturers and importers under Decree 591 include: (1) Mandatory "national safety registration" of hazardous chemicals -- companies manufacturing hazardous chemicals in China, and importers bringing them into China, must submit detailed hazard data and emergency contact information to the Chemical Registration Center (NRCC) under China's national emergency management authority and complete "hazardous chemicals registration"; (2) Mandatory listing of a "24-hour China-based emergency phone number" on SDS -- the first section of any SDS intended for the Chinese market must list a China-based emergency contact number capable of providing technical support 24 hours a day (either the company's own number or that of an agency such as the NRCC); overseas phone numbers, including Japanese ones, are not accepted under any circumstances; (3) Obtaining a "hazardous chemicals business license" -- companies selling or warehousing hazardous chemicals through a local Chinese entity must meet strict facility safety requirements and obtain a hazardous chemicals business license.