What on earth is this GHS thing all about?

No... not Guildford High School for Girls, I mean the Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS), with me now?

 All over the world there are different laws on how to identify the hazardous properties of chemicals and how information about these hazards is then passed to users (through labels, and safety data sheets for workers).

This can be confusing because the same chemical can have different hazard descriptions in different countries. For example, a chemical could be labelled as ‘toxic’ in one country, but not in another.

The UN brought together experts from different countries to create the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS).

The aim of the GHS is to have, worldwide, the same:

• criteria for classifying chemicals according to their health, environmental and physical hazards; and
• hazard communication requirements for labelling and safety data sheets.

The new rules state that "As a general rule, you must notify the classification and labelling of a substance within one month of placing it on the market on or after 1 December 2010. For importers, the one month delay is counted from the day when a substance, on its own or contained in a mixture, is physically introduced in the customs territory of the Community"

What will change?

Labelling must take place in accordance with the CLP as of December 1, 2010 for substances and as of June 1 2015 for mixtures, however this labeling is already allowed as of now.

Regardless of which labeling law is selected within the transition periods, only one form of labeling is allowed

on the label - either in accordance with the old law or the new one. The old classification in accordance with

directives 67/548/EEC and 1999/45/EC must still be provided in the safety data sheet until June 1, 2015.

The long transition period for the labeling systems (2009 - 2015) is intended to ensure that all of the relevant

parties - public authorities, companies and stakeholders - are able to concentrate their resources on the new

obligations in a timely manner.

The new European CLP Regulation is based on the previous system of classification and labeling as it represents a compromise between the established systems in North America and the EU.

The most noticeable feature is the change in the labeling symbols: instead of the hazard symbols with black printing on orange-yellow rectangles that have been used to date, now nine hazard pictograms with black symbols on a white background with red-rimmed rhombuses are used to provide warnings (Annex V, CLP Regulation). While most of the nine hazard pictograms correspond to the well-known hazard symbols, the pictograms GHS 04, GHS 07 and GHS 08 are completely new. The St. Andrew’s cross (Xn/Xi) that has been used to date no longer exists.

The first working day in 2011 is 3 January. This means that the first notification deadline is 3 January, namely for all substances placed on the market on 1, 2 and 3 December 2010.
ECHA recommends that notifications are submitted from now on and well before 24 December 2010.

 Just like the image shown above the pictogram's that identify a gas, liquid, explosive or corrosive product have now changed and must be identified correctly or risk being collared by the long arm of the law.

There have been some major and some minor pictogram changes. Make sure you are using the correct one.

Weber Marking Systems as a labelling specialist can help you be legally compliant. We currently produce labels for some of the UK's largest pharmaceutical companies, jump on board with us. These new rules came into effect on 1st December and you MUST be compliant from now on, and we can help

Details of the pictogram changes can be found on-line. A full list of the regulations can be found at http://www.unece.org/trans/danger/publi/ghs/ghs_welcome_e.html.