Hazard Communication and the GHS
Monday 02 October 2006 at 12:00 am.
The United Nations has released a near final draft report, which introduces a new and globally unified approach to hazard communication. This is known as the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) and will be used for labels and Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS).
The United Nations' International Labor Organization has developed the Global Harmonized System (GHS) of classification and labeling of chemicals. It is currently available in a near-finalized draft report, which is not anticipated to change substantially from its present state. This new system of hazard communication is meant to be implemented globally to provide consistent information on labels and Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS). It is expected to benefit workers and the public by identifying hazards with a greater awareness in mind. The GHS is a voluntary international system that imposes no binding treaty obligations on countries. For countries with existing systems, it is expected that the GHS will be applied within the framework of existing hazard communication regulatory schemes.
The GHS Material Safety Data Sheets should contain 16 sections in the same way that ANSI, ISO, OSHA and the EU already requires. These standards/regulatory bodies are already in the process of drafting recommendations for the integration of the GHS. Some of these are
- ISO Safety Data Sheet for Chemical Products 11014-1: 2003 DRAFT
- ANSI MSDS Preparation Z400.1- 2004
- OSHA Hazard Communication Standard 29CFR1910.1200
- EC Directive 91/155/EC
Japan is the first country to announce legislative compliance with the Global Harmonized System. Companies, which manufacture, import or use chemicals there, are required to implement this new system by December 1, 2006 under the Industrial Safety and Health Law (ISHL). Despite this ambitious goal the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has not yet made the regulations available to industry. Also the U.S. Department of Commerce has been in talks with government officials in Japan for a delayed date of implementation due to the burdens to industry (re-labeling, re-classification, re-packaging etc.).
News concerning other country implementations of GHS:
Canada is currently reviewing the impact to and integration with consumer chemical products, pest control products, the transportation of dangerous goods and the Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS). In particular there are differences between the GHS and WHMIS classification systems, which remain to be resolved.
In the United States OSHA has recently issued a proposed rulemaking, which would implement the GHS in a timeframe consistent with the United Nations' goal of 2008. OSHA is currently soliciting feedback on this proposal until November 13, 2006.
The European Union has opened up a period of public consultation on the GHS implementation from August 21 to October 21, 2006. The purposes of the Commission are to extend what is already provided by Directives 67/546/EEC and 1999/45/EC. The current hazard classification and risk phrase assignments will be equated with categories defined in the GHS proposal. The target date for implementation is 2008 with a transitional period.