The United Nations GHS Purple Book is updated every two years. The 7th revised edition of the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling (GHS Rev 7) was published in July 2017. This revision is of particular significance as OSHA already stated that it intends to update the HazCom 2012 standard to incorporate the changes in GHS Revision 7.
A number of changes are included in this update that impacts both chemical manufacturers and employers of entities where hazardous materials are stored and used.
Most important changes include:
- Revised the criteria for how flammable gases are categorized.
- Made a range of changes intended to clarify the definitions of some health hazard classes.
- A new example for fold-out labels for small containers has been added. It describes what information needs to appear on front page and pages inside (See sample below).
Our SDS and GHS software includes the newly adopted GHS changes by OSHA.
What is GHS and how does it impact you?
The GHS global regulation is designed to ensure chemical safety in the workplace. information about the identities and hazards of the chemicals must be available and understandable to workers.
OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) requires the development and dissemination of such information:
- Chemical manufacturers and importers are required to evaluate the hazards of the chemicals they produce or import, and prepare labels and safety data sheets to convey the hazard information to their downstream customers;
- All employers with hazardous chemicals in their workplaces must have labels and safety data sheets for their exposed workers, and train them to handle the chemicals appropriately.
Our Environmental Management Systems (EMS) software includes a vast database of SDS and GHS that is free to access at https://chemicalsafety.com/sds-search/.
If you want to download the entire, 500+ page GHS revision 7, click here.
About the Author: Tony Diamantidis has carried the torch for environmental excellence literally and otherwise for more than 30 years. He is the principal architect of his company’s Environmental Management Systems (EMS) technology, a Cloud-based environmental health, and safety software infrastructure (www.chemicalsafety.com). He has served as the senior environmental consultant to multinational corporations, government organizations, and Olympic venues including the Athens 2004 Olympics where he carried the first ever Olympic Torch for the Environment on the eve of the Games opening day. He can be reached at tonyd@chemicalsafety.com or on LinkedIn.