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Chemical Labels for BS5609
If you export chemicals from the UK and are responsible for shipping chemical products by sea you may need to ensure compliance with the Merchant Shipping Regulations. The regulations require packages to be "durably marked". This is, of course subjective so a British Standard - BS5609 - sets out various criteria regarding adhesive performance, print permanence, abrasion resistance and so on to stipulate minimum standards required by labels which may be used in "Marine Environments". If you fully comply with the requirements of BS5609 then your labels may be considered "durable".
A great many label companies offer "labels to BS5609" but you must be cautious because there are potential pitfalls.
Firstly, label adhesion in the Standard is based on adhesion to aluminium plates! Few companies send their goods out in aluminium packaging (!) and a more perfect surface to label would be difficult to find. A label which adheres aggressively to an aluminium plate may not survive a few hours on a plastic drum and it is the responsibility of the shipper to ensure that the packages are labelled satisfactorily. BS5609 does recommend additional testing of any potential label to ensure that it is appropriate on the surface you are using and since testing it so easily done, we would recommend trials if you are not sure.
Secondly, BS5609 is in four parts. Parts 2 and 3 are concerned with the base label and print (including and overprint) respectively. If your label supplier confirms that the label complies with BS5609 - does he mean the whole label ie: label, pre-print and overprint? More likely it is just the base material which has been tested. To offer complete compliance it is necessary to overprint using a ribbon which has also been tested and there are very few of these - moreover if a ribbon has been tested on Label A it doesn't necessity follow that it will comply on Label B.
For complete peace of mind we can offer a fully tested service where you can receive professional advice and recommendations. Contact us for further details.
Please call us for advice and a specific quote on 01344 771569
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