Health and Safety
Executive / Commission
Infections at work and GMOs
The Genetically Modified Organisms (Contained Use) Regulations 2000 requires the Competent Authority to maintain a public register of information about all notifications concerning contained use. This contains information on premises and individual activities, including the nature of the work to be carried out at the premises, the purpose of individual activities and the characteristics of the GMOs involved.
New notifications and the date of significant changes to the data has to be entered on the public register within 14 days of its receipt, and remains on the public register until 10 years after the activity has ended or until 10 years after the premises are no longer used for GM work. Please note that much less information is on the Public Register for premises or activities which started under the previous GMO (Contained Use) regulations, a limited number of activities have been removed in the interest of national security, and some information may be excluded from individual notifications under the exemptions of the Environmental Information Regulations 2004. The full risk assessment is not placed on the public register but is available on request at the Bootle office.
The public may comment on new class 3 or 4 activities to the Competent Authority within 30 days of HSE acknowledging receipt of the notification.
Complete copies of the Register are available for inspection at two HSE offices at the following addresses:
Rose Court, 2 Southwark Bridge, London SE1 9HS. Tel 020 7717 6623
1.2 Redgrave Court, Merton Road, Bootle, Merseyside L20 7HS Tel 0151 951 4718
Copies of the full risk assessments, that are associated with entries in the Register, are also available but only at the Bootle office.
That part of the Register covering premises and activities for Scotland and Wales are held at the following addresses respectively:
Belford House, 59 Belford Road, Edinburgh EH4 3UE. Tel: 0131 247 2000.
Government Buildings, Ty Glas, Llanishen, Cardiff CF14 5SH. Tel: 029 2026 3000
The Registers are open to the public for inspection during normal office hours (9.00-5.00, Monday to Friday), but those wishing to look at them are advised to telephone first.
An electronic copy of the Public Register, which is updated monthly, is also available.
This report is arranged in numerical order by GM centre reference number and is searchable. This file will take around 5 minutes to download with a 512 Mb broadband connection. Dial-up modem users are advised that because of the file size it will be very slow to download this file but as an alternative it can be sent to you on a CD. To request a copy on CD please contact the notification officer at notificationofficer@hse.gsi.gov.uk or telephone 0151 951 4718. There may be a small charge for sending the CD to cover administrative costs.
Under regulation 24 (7) of the GMO (Contained Use) Regulations 2000, HSE is required to keep a public register of premises and activities notifications at its Headquarters in London (Rose Court) and Bootle (Magdalen House). HSE is proposing to amend this regulation, but before regulations are made, HSE is writing to you about this change.
HSE now no longer has an office at Magdalen House and is progressing its move from a split–site Headquarters in London and Bootle to a single HQ based in Bootle – Redgrave Court, Merton Road, Bootle, Merseyside, L20 7HS. The move is to be completed by early 2010. Therefore Regulation 24 (7) needs amending to reflect these changes. We are in the process of doing this.
It is proposed that in future, copies of the register as regards Great Britain will be available for the public to view, and be maintained, at the office in Redgrave Court. Regulation 24(7) would be amended to reflect that copies of the register are to be maintained at Redgrave Court.
In addition, a copy of the register is available on the HSE website at http://www.hse.gov.uk/biosafety/gmo/publicregister.htm
If you have any questions or comments, please contact Frances Soames by 5th November 2008.
