Departments are reminded that certain toxic chemicals, their precursors and specified variants are subject to strict legal requirements and licensing conditions under the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), and that the Safety Office should be notified immediately if departments hold, use or produce any Schedule 1 Chemicals or specified variants. Licensable variants include isotopically labelled analogues, stereoisomers (both optical and geometric), and corresponding salts.
The licence for Schedule 1 Chemicals is held centrally by the Safety Office. This has to be renewed every year and we are required to apply for a renewal of the licence for 2020.
Full information is contained in University Policy Statement UPS S5/04 and Memoranda M5/16. The list of Schedule 1 Chemicals can be found in UPS S5/04 Appendix 1 S5/04. The list of variants, which were added in 2016, can be found together with the associated Schedule 1 Chemical, in Annex A of M5/16.
Action by heads of department
- notify the Safety Office of any Schedule 1 Chemicals, precursors or specified variants held, used or produced in their department by Friday 1 November 2019.
- notify the Safety Office if their department intends to purchase, produce or acquire any Schedule 1 Chemical, precursor of specified variant by Friday 1 November 2019.
Notification should be via email to postmaster@safety.ox.ac.uk. Emails should be marked with high importance. Nil returns are not required.
It is the responsibility of heads of department to ensure that all relevant principal investigators / research group supervisors / store managers confirm whether or not work is being undertaken or planned with these chemicals. However, the return may be sent by departmental safety officers or administrators on their behalf.
