CHIP deals with the marketing of dangerous:

• substances (chemical elements or compounds, such as mercury or sulphuric acid); and
• preparations (mixtures or solutions of substances, such as paints or inks).

The term ‘chemical’ is used here to cover both substances and preparations.

CHIP requires suppliers of chemicals to decide whether they are 'dangerous' and in what way, and then provide information to their customers in the form of warning labels and safety data sheets. The chemicals must also be packaged properly.

To help suppliers comply with CHIP there are a number of supporting documents.