GHS

What is GHS?

GHS is the Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals. GHS aims to improve the health and safety of workers, consumers and the environment by ensuring consistent and appropriate information is provided on the chemicals they use. It will also reduce the regulatory burden on manufacturers who currently have to struggle with many different systems of classification depending on the countries they manufacture in and export to.

Work on GHS has been ongoing since the 1992 "Earth Summit" Conference in Rio de Janeiro. The first version of GHS, sometimes known as ‘the Purple book’, was published in 2002, and a revised edition in 2005.  The full text of the GHS is available on the UNECE website, along with useful background material on its development and implementation.

Key Features

GHS introduces a set of harmonised criteria for the classification of chemicals. Many of these criteria will be familiar to those working under the current EU system, although in many cases the actual values used to define the hazard category will differ. There are also a number of additional hazard categories for some criteria that indicate a lower degree of hazard. These may be implemented on an optional basis and it is expected that some countries will include them in their new regulations while others will not.

The system for classifying mixtures (preparations) will also change, and this is expected to result in a significant increase in the number of mixtures that are classified as hazardous.

The content of labels will also change significantly. Under GHS, the familiar rectangular orange symbols will be replaced by a new set of pictograms which will be diamond shaped like the transport symbols, but with the symbols in black on a white background with a red border.  

The EU Indications of Danger will be replaced with Signal Words, while R & S phrases are replaced with Hazard Statements and Precautionary Statements.

Implementation

GHS will be progressively implemented worldwide. Many countries are in the process of consulting on the implementation of GHS in their national regimes – details can be accessed through the UNECE website. 

In the EU, a consultation process recently took place on proposals to implement GHS alongside REACH and by the target date set in the 2002 Johannesburg Summit. Following this the European Commission has produced a new proposal which will now go through the process of seeking agreement from the European Parliament and Council. Assuming the proposal goes ahead, the deadline for substance reclassification in the EU will be 1 December 2010 and for mixtures 1 June 2015. More information on the proposal can be found here.