A permit issued by the Director-General of Trade and Industry ("the Director") is required for the operation of a facility during a particular year if the facility involves any of the following activities :

1. Schedule 1 (pdf format) chemicals (other than excluded Schedule 1 chemicals) are likely to be produced, acquired, retained or used at, or transferred from, the facility during the year. Schedule 1 chemicals are excluded chemicals in relation to a facility and to a year if -

   1. the total amount of those chemicals likely to be acquired, retained or used at, or transferred from, the facility during the year does not exceed 100 grams;

   2. those chemicals will not be produced at the facility during that year; and

   3. those chemicals are intended only to be put to research, medical or pharmaceutical purposes;

2. an amount of a Schedule 2 (pdf format) chemical exceeding, in the aggregate, the Schedule 2 permit threshold for that chemical is likely to be produced, processed or consumed at a plant comprising, or comprising part of, the facility during the year. The threshold is -

   1. 1 kilogram for a chemical listed in Part A of Schedule 2 and designated with an "*" ;

   2. 100 kilograms of a chemical listed in Part A of Schedule 2 but is not designated with an "*" ; or

   3. 1 tonne of a chemical listed in Part B of Schedule 2; or

3. an amount of a Schedule 3 (pdf format) chemical exceeding, in the aggregate, 30 tonnes of that chemical is likely to be produced at a plant comprising, or comprising part of, the facility during the year.

Facilities which are involved in activities that fall into (a) to (c) above are required to obtain a permit from the Director in order to operate their facilities.

Generally speaking, a permit shall be granted to the operator of a facility only if the chemicals are to be produced, processed or consumed for industrial, agricultural, research, medical, pharmaceutical or other peaceful purposes.

For facilities which deal with Schedule 1 chemicals, a permit will only be granted if the Schedule 1 chemicals are to be acquired, retained, transferred or used for research, medical, pharmaceutical or protective purposes (Note); or are produced for research, medical or pharmaceutical purposes.

Note: "Protective Purposes" refer to those purposes directly related to protection against toxic chemicals and to protection against chemical weapons.