Prevention · precautionary statement
P202 — Do not handle until all safety precautions have been read and understood.
Prevention statements describe how to keep the harm from happening at all. No substance with a harmonised EU classification carries this code.
01 · Wording
What P202 says
Do not handle until all safety precautions have been read and understood.
Prevention · GHS revision 9
Does your label need P202? That depends on the hazard classes of your product, on whether it goes to the public or to professionals, and on what else is already on the label — Annex IV column 5 lets one statement remove another. Work it out from a classification →
02 · Languages
P202 in the 24 official EU languages
A label put on the market in an EU country must carry the wording of that country's own language version of CLP — not a translation of the English one. These 24 lines are quoted from the consolidated regulation, Annex IV, and are the text to print.
| Language | Official wording of P202 |
|---|---|
| BG български Bulgarian | Не използвайте преди да сте прочели и разбрали всички предпазни мерки за безопасност. |
| ES español Spanish | No manipular la sustancia antes de haber leído y comprendido todas las instrucciones de seguridad. |
| CS čeština Czech | Nepoužívejte, dokud jste si nepřečetli všechny bezpečnostní pokyny a neporozuměli jim. |
| DA dansk Danish | Anvend ikke produktet, før alle advarsler er læst og forstået. |
| DE Deutsch German | Vor Gebrauch alle Sicherheitshinweise lesen und verstehen. |
| ET eesti Estonian | Mitte käidelda enne ohutusnõuetega tutvumist ja nendest arusaamist. |
| EL ελληνικά Greek | Μην το χρησιμοποιήσετε πριν διαβάσετε και κατανοήσετε τις οδηγίες προφύλαξης. |
| EN English English | Do not handle until all safety precautions have been read and understood. |
| FR français French | Ne pas manipuler avant d’avoir lu et compris toutes les précautions de sécurité. |
| GA Gaeilge Irish | Ná láimhsigh go dtí go léifear agus go dtuigfear gach ráiteas réamhchúraim sábháilteachta. |
| HR hrvatski Croatian | Ne rukovati prije upoznavanja i razumijevanja sigurnosnih mjera predostrožnosti. |
| IT italiano Italian | Non manipolare prima di avere letto e compreso tutte le avvertenze. |
| LV latviešu Latvian | Neizmantot pirms nav izlasīti un saprasti visi apzīmējumi. |
| LT lietuvių Lithuanian | Nenaudoti, jeigu neperskaityti ar nesuprasti visi saugos įspėjimai. |
| HU magyar Hungarian | Ne használja addig, amíg az összes biztonsági óvintézkedést el nem olvasta és meg nem értette. |
| MT Malti Maltese | Tmissux qabel ma tkun qrajt u fhimt l-istruzzjonijiet kollha ta' prekawzjoni. |
| NL Nederlands Dutch | Pas gebruiken nadat u alle veiligheidsvoorschriften gelezen en begrepen heeft |
| PL polski Polish | Nie używać przed zapoznaniem się i zrozumieniem wszystkich środków bezpieczeństwa. |
| PT português Portuguese | Não manuseie o produto antes de ter lido e percebido todas as precauções de segurança. |
| RO română Romanian | A nu se manipula decât după ce au fost citite și înțelese toate măsurile de securitate. |
| SK slovenčina Slovak | Nepoužívajte, kým si neprečítate a nepochopíte všetky bezpečnostné opatrenia. |
| SL slovenščina Slovenian | Ne uporabljajte, dokler se ne seznanite z vsemi varnostnimi ukrepi. |
| FI suomi Finnish | Lue varoitukset huolellisesti ennen käsittelyä. |
| SV svenska Swedish | Använd inte produkten innan du har läst och förstått säkerhetsanvisningarna |
Source: CELEX:02008R1272-20260501, Annex IV. © European Union, https://eur-lex.europa.eu — only the electronic Official Journal of the European Union is authentic. Irish is one of the 24 official languages and its H and P texts are printed inside the multilingual Annex tables, but no consolidated CLP has ever been published in Irish — which is why an Irish-primary label cannot be built here.
03 · Legal status
Where P202 is current
GHS is a United Nations model text, revised every two years, and each jurisdiction adopts a revision on its own timetable. A code can be legally current in one system and deleted in another — that is normal, not an error.
| Jurisdiction | Basis | Status of P202 |
|---|---|---|
| EU CLP | Regulation (EC) 1272/2008 CLP Annex IV, Part 2 (consolidated) | Current |
| US OSHA HazCom | 29 CFR 1910.1200 Appendix C UN GHS Rev.7 (final rule of 20 May 2024) | Current |
| US HazCom 2012 | legacy · GHS Rev.3 UN GHS Rev.3, Annex 3 | Current |
| UN GHS | Rev.11 (2025) UN GHS Rev.11, Annex 3 | withdrawn Deleted without a direct replacement. |
Currently in force under: EU CLP, US OSHA HazCom, US HazCom 2012. Sources: EU CLP · US OSHA HazCom · US HazCom 2012 · UN GHS
04 · Substances
Substances carrying P202
No substance with a harmonised classification in CLP Annex VI carries this code. That does not mean it is unused — suppliers apply it to their own mixtures.
All precautionary statements
The full list of P-codes with the jurisdiction switch lives on the precautionary statements hub. For the hazard side, see hazard statements (H-codes).
Wording quoted from the regulation named above. Substance counts come from harmonised classifications in CLP Annex VI — the statements on a real product also depend on the supplier's own classification. Always check the supplier safety data sheet.