If everything is correct, every company already knows the Risk Inventory and Evaluation, or ARIE. But not everyone knows its younger brother, ARIE. Who is this newcomer? And perhaps more importantly: should you be concerned about it? Our legal expert René Uijtdewilligen helps you out.
ARIE stands for Additional Risk Inventory and Evaluation: a new regulation for companies that work with hazardous substances. Think of ARIE as an addition to the RI&E, which companies with staff have been required to keep up with for years by the Occupational Safety and Health Act.
Only the letter A is new, however. According to René, that one letter raises quite a few questions. “The arrival of ARIE means that companies must, among other things, inventory which substances pose a potential risk to their employees. And how much of those hazardous substances they have in their premises. If the quantities of hazardous substances exceed the threshold values, the company is subject to the ARIE obligation.”.
Overall picture
Many customers ask us whether our products Substances that fall under the ARIE category are included in these regulations. But unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to that question. “It’s about the overall picture of quantities of raw materials and end products,” said René. “There are many different categories of substances that need to be considered carefully. For example, corrosive substances, but also flammable substances. For all these categories, the ARIE has different threshold values. Companies will therefore have to work on the inventory themselves.”
“It takes a little getting used to, but safety comes first”
Spectro products
According to René, that starts with mapping out the labeling of your (stored) products. The labels of our cleaning products as well. “It is important to look closely at the raw materials, because they are not diluted,” said our legal expert. “But an end product can also fall under ARIE, such as cleaning products containing a skin-corrosive substance, such as a strong acid.”
Report
Have you done the math? Then you know if you’re exceeding the ARIE threshold. “If you stay below the threshold, you don’t have to do anything,” said René. “But if you exceed it? Then you have to report it to the Labor Inspectorate. For that, you still have some time, because they won’t start enforcing the law until January 1, 2024.”
René understands that this can be quite a hassle. Still, he advises clients to get the situation sorted out as quickly as possible. “It’s a bit of a struggle at first, but we all have to do it. Besides, of course, you’re doing it for a reason. Safety at work should always come first. Sometimes it’s possible to switch to less classified or even non-classified products. Our sales team is happy to help.” advice about this.”