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Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health

Compliance Returns

There are a number of Governmental regulations that apply to research and other work carried out at the University. Some of these require personal or institutional licenses or registration, and others require information to be submitted to the Government.

In order to ensure compliance with these regulations, the University requests information from the schools and research institutions twice a year, once in the summer and again in the winter.

Winter 2023

We have received the annual request from David Barker (University Director of Compliance and Risk) to return information regarding CWCs and Drug Precursors.

In addition to the normal winter return we have been asked to collate information regarding any equipment containing less than 5L of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).

The Compliance and Risk team will collate and submit the Faculty response to the University’s Regulatory Compliance Officer.

If your activities include CWCs or Drug Precursors, or you have equipment containing PCBs, please complete and return the relevant forms (details below) to FBMHhealthandsafety@manchester.ac.uk by Thursday, 11 January 2024.

Nil returns may be declared by email without submitting forms.  

1 - CHEMICAL WEAPONS CONVENTION (CWC) RETURNS

The Faculty has been asked to complete its annual statutory declaration under the Chemical Weapons Convention, and we need your assistance in compiling the data for this report. We require information on the use, production, purchase, and import/export of specific chemicals during 2023. These chemicals are divided into three groups, referred to as Schedule 1 (S1), Schedule 2 (S2) and Schedule 3 (S3).

CWC Schedule 1

Complete “CWC S1 template 2023.xlsx” if (in 2023), you have:

  • Purchased a CWC Schedule 1 item.
  • Processed, consumed or disposed of a CWC Schedule 1 item.

Notes:

    • A separate tab must be completed for each source (i.e. company from where you purchase the chemical).
    • If several chemicals have been purchased from the same source, you must fill in their details in a separate Chemical table in the same tab.
    • The amounts purchased, processed, consumed or disposed will need to be reported.

CWC Schedule 2

Complete “CWC S2 template 2023.xlsx” if (in 2023), you have:

  • Purchased a CWC Schedule 2 item.
  • Processed, consumed or disposed of a CWC Schedule 2 item.

Notes:

    • A separate tab must be completed for each source (i.e. company from where you purchase the chemical).
    • If several chemicals have been purchased from the same source, you must fill in their details in a separate Chemical table in the same tab.
    • The amounts purchased, processed, consumed or disposed will need to be reported.

CWC Schedule 3

Complete the “CWC S3 template 2023.xlsx” if (in 2023), you have:

  • Purchased a CWC Schedule 3 item
  • Produced a CWC Schedule 3 item

Notes:

    • A separate tab must be completed for each source (i.e. company from where you purchase the chemical).
    • If several chemicals have been purchased from the same source, you must fill in their details in the same table in the same tab.
    • Because there are different requirements for reporting UK sources, Non-UK sources and UoM production, different tabs are included.

2 - DRUG PRECURSORS

Please see the lists on the Compliance and Risk website to help determine if you use any Category 1, 2, 3 or 4 precursor chemicals. A personal licence is required for Category 1 chemicals. 

Complete the “Precursor Regulatory Returns_Winter_declaration template_2023.docx” if (in 2023), you have:

  • A Category 1 item in stock
  • A Category 2 item in stock
  • You have exported a Category 3 or 4 item outside of the UK.

Note: Please report all quantities of the precursors you hold – even if it is well below the thresholds listed for Category 2 chemicals.  The threshold applies to a location – so we will need to sum all of the quantities held by different groups.

3 – Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB) containing items (containing less than 5L in volume)

Complete the “PCB_declaration_template.docx” if you have any equipment containing Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB) (with less than 5L in volume)

What are PCBs?

PCBs are a family of substances which are good electrical insulators. They are chemically stable, fire resistant and don't easily generate a vapour.

Where will I find PCBs?

PCBs were used as dielectric filler liquids in some types of electrical equipment such as transformers, switchgear, capacitors and in the starter units of fluorescent lights and fractional horsepower motors. Some equipment is labelled as containing PCBs but if you come across old equipment with no identifying label we may need to make additional checks. Examples of equipment/items are: 

  • power factor capacitors
  • heat transfer equipment
  • pole-mounted transformers
  • process heating equipment
  • vacuum pumps
  • high temperature hydraulic systems
  • electrical resistors
  • brushings and other high voltage equipment
  • fluorescent light ballasts
  • hospital diagnostic equipment

You should assume that any capacitor or transformer manufactured before 1976 may contains PCBs unless you have information to the contrary. It is also possible that there may be PCBs present in capacitors and transformers manufactured between 1976 - 1986.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) can harm the environment and could damage your health. Because of environmental concerns, an international agreement in 1986 banned most uses and to phase out remaining uses by 2000. Any equipment manufactured after 1986 is unlikely to contain PCBs and those manufactured after 2000 should not contain PCBs.

Further guidance can be found on the HSE and UK Government websites:

 

If anything about this request is not clear, please contact the Compliance and Risk team or your Compliance and Risk Manager: 

A reminder from the University’s Regulatory Compliance Officer

Remember: Do not send any sensitive material in the body of the email when sending your returns. Use encrypted attachments to send sensitive data and communicate the password by MS Teams or telephone (phone call or text message).
There is a university guide on handling sensitive data and on how to encrypt files using Microsoft Office.

Support to complete

Additional information is available on the University's Compliance and Risk website.

If anything about this request is not clear, please contact you School Compliance and Risk Manager via email to FBMHhealthandsafety@manchester.ac.uk.