Major Features of the Ordinance

Annual Reports and Notifications

The Chemical Weapons (Convention) Ordinance (Cap. 578) has laid down reporting, notification and record keeping requirements for operators of chemical facilities. Such provisions are highlighted below for reference:

Section 11(1) requires the operator of a facility to notify the Director-General of Trade and Industry ("the Director") about its production of Unscheduled Discrete Organic Chemicals (UDOCs) in its facility if exceeding the specified level and to keep the relevant records about the facility and such production for not less than 3 years.

Section 12 specifies the records which relates to the information required to be reported to the Director in the annual report and those related to the activities as well as the facility itself. Such records should be kept for not less than 3 years.

Section 13 empowers the Director to require information from a person if he has reasons to believe that the person is able to provide information that is relevant for the purpose of making declarations required under the Chemical Weapons Convention.

If you are an operator of a facility that deals with scheduled chemicals, you may be required to obtain a permit from the Director for the operation of your facility. A permit holder will be required to submit annual reports regarding past and anticipated activities of his facility. If you have been involved in the production of UDOCs, you may be required under the notification system to submit annual notifications to the Director on your past production of UDOCs.

Here is a summary of the types of information to be included in the annual reports and notifications. For more details about the permit and notification requirements, please go to the Permit System and Notification System.