The regulations for supplying
explosives precursors and poisons was updated on 27th September 2023 and came
into force on 1st October. These put in place new requirements on the supply of
certain chemicals which include the following commonly used in schools:
Explosives precursors: acetone, aluminium
powders, hydrochloric acid, hydrogen peroxide, sulfur and sulfuric acid.
Poisons: ammonia, phenols, sodium hydroxide, sodium
nitrite and sodium hypochlorite solutions.
The regulations state that
businesses and professional users should be verified by the supplier every time
a new purchase is made of these regulated chemicals.
Where they are being
supplied frequently or on a routine basis to the same professional user or
business, verification should occur every 18 months or whenever there is a
change or deviation from normal purchasing patterns. This is something
suppliers can choose to do, but given schools don’t generally make frequent
purchases of these chemicals, it is likely that the information will be
required for each order.
The person making the
sale (the supplier) must obtain the following from the business customer (i.e.
the school):
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business customer’s name and address. If the business customer is not an
individual, the name of an individual who is authorised on behalf of the
business customer should be recorded;
<!--a form of
photographic identification of the business customer or, if the business
customer is not an individual, of the individual making the purchase; this
could be a school photo ID card
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statement of the nature of the business customer’s trade, business or
profession, or of the public function that the business customer performs; and the
business customer’s VAT registration number, if the business customer has such
a number
Your school will have to decide
who is authorised on behalf of the business to make the purchase (the name on
the order must match the individual). For schools it is most likely to be a
technician, head of science or finance manager.
There is no licence which applies to these regulations, so there is nothing schools will need to apply for.
This information should be
provided when requested by the company making the sale, there is no need to
provide it in advance.
Further details including a list
of the regulated substances and concentration thresholds can be found in the
Explosives precursors and poisons: general guidance on the government
website
