New Hazard Communication Standards Affect MSDS

As the world continues to get smaller, and millions of pounds of chemical products are shipped between countries daily, a Global Harmonized System (GHS) is being implemented to aid in the communication of hazards and risks.

The UN Conference on the Environment and Development (UNCED) met in 1992 and decided that global standards for chemical classification and labeling were needed. Every country had different requirements, causing confusion and increasing risk of serious accidents. In 2005 the first revised edition of GHS was published, and it has been updated every two years.

This system established a standard system for classifying and labeling chemicals with the intent to have it fully implemented by 2008. The system also impacts the content and organization of Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), which will be called Safety Data Sheets (SDS) moving forward.

Of course, getting every country in the world to agree on something is easier said than done.

While the pictograms and signal words identifying particular hazards on labels are largely accepted, specific chemical classifications and the timing of GHS implementation vary widely from country to country.

Europe, however, is leading the charge, with adoption of GHS well underway.

The most noticeable and potentially alarming change for GHS is the pictograms, standardized symbols that represent the hazards of a chemical. Europe has long used standard pictograms, and the GHS pictograms are largely based on those designs.

Canada has used two different sets of pictograms, one for workplace products governed by Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS), and one for consumer products from Consumer Chemicals and Containers Regulations (CCCR).

Health Canada, the body responsible for the work place labeling requirements, has not finalized how the current WHMIS-related requirements will change or the timing of their transition. Draft regulations have been proposed, but a final document is not expected until later this year.

In the meantime, the standard WHMIS markings in the hashmarked border are still required. It is expected that this will be replaced by GHS standard markings, and a target “in force” date has been proposed for June 2015. For products being shipped to both the U.S. and Canada, which is commonly done, both GHS (U.S. and Mexico) and WHMIS (Canada) markings are allowed.

Canada will not accept a GHS only label while WHMIS is in effect

www.techspray.com