Choose from 5 options:
Decision tool – Work out your introduction category
This decision tool is related to step 6 of the process to categorise your chemical introduction.
Optional: If you’d like to save or print your completed decision tool for your own records, click on ‘Chemical identity’ and enter your chemical’s name or CAS number. Note that a copy of a completed decision tool is not sufficient to meet your record-keeping obligations. To save as a PDF, select the print option in your browser and choose ‘Save as PDF’ or ‘Microsoft Print to PDF’. For Safari users, click 'File' and 'Export to PDF'.
Who should use this?
This page will help you work out your introduction category as one of the following:
- exempted
- reported
- assessed
You can read about the different categories in our guide to categorisation.
See the full list of decision tools to help you categorise your introduction
Help us improve these tools by giving us your feedback.
What you need to know
- the indicative human health risk for your introduction (from steps 4.4 and 4.5 of the process to categorise your introduction), which is one of the following:
- very low human health risk
- low human health risk
- medium to high human health risk
- the indicative environmental risk for your introduction (from steps 5.4 and 5.5 of the process to categorise your introduction), which is one of the following:
- very low environmental risk
- low environmental risk
- medium to high environmental risk
How to work out your introduction category
Your category is determined by the highest indicative risk for your introduction:
- If the indicative human health and environment risks are both very low, then your introduction is in the exempted category.
- If the indicative human health and environment risks are both low, or, one is low and the other very low, then your introduction is in the reported category.
- If the indicative human health and environment risk is medium to high for one or both, then your introduction is in the assessed category.
For example, if your indicative human health risk is low and your indicative environment risk is medium to high, your introduction category is assessed.
You can use the table below to help you work this out. First, find the column that corresponds to your introduction's indicative human health risk. Next, find the row that corresponds to your introduction's indicative environmental risk.
Find the cell where the two join up to see your introduction category in the categorisation matrix below.
Categorisation matrix
| Decision tool – Work out your introduction category | Indicative human health risk | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Very low | Low | Medium to High | ||
| Indicative environmental risk | Very low | Exempted | Reported | Assessed |
| Low | Reported | Reported | Assessed | |
| Medium to high | Assessed | Assessed | Assessed | |
Next steps
If your introduction is categorised as exempted, you can introduce your chemical without telling us first, if you are already registered with us.
If your introduction is categorised as reported, you must be registered with us and submit a pre-introduction report before you can introduce the chemical.
If your introduction is categorised as assessed, you must be registered with us and apply for an assessment certificate before you can introduce the chemical.
See your reporting and record-keeping obligations for each introduction category