What is GHS?

Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals - GHS will affect everyone around the world

Did you know that conforming with GHS is necessary to achieve REACH compliance?

More about GHS

The deadline for substance reclassification in the EU is 1 December 2010 and for mixtures 1 June 2015.

The UN brought together experts from around the world including the International Programme on Chemical Safety and the World Health Organisation, to put together criteria for both classification and communication. In Europe, GHS is implemented through the CLP Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008.

What is GHS?

The problem faced by the chemical industry selling products around the world is the inconsistency between different regional and national systems for chemical classification. A substance which is classed as toxic in one part of the world may not be considered toxic in another. The aim of GHS is to tackle this problem by standardising both classification and communication.

GHS is the internationally agreed 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 hazard communication on the chemicals being used.

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 updated in 2005 and 2007.

The full text of the GHS is available on the UNECE website, along with useful background material on its development and implementation.

GHS Key Features

Classification

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. EU companies will notice 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, including the EU, will not. Thus there will still be some differences between countries, although the foundation on which the classification is based will be the same.

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.

Labelling

The content of labels will change significantly. Under GHS, the rectangular orange symbols familiar to those in the EU 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.

In the EU, Indications of Danger will be replaced with Signal Words, while Risk Phrases and Safety Phrases will be replaced with Hazard Statements and Precautionary Statements.

Implementation of GHS

GHS will be progressively implemented worldwide. Many countries are in the process of implementing GHS or consulting on the implementation of GHS in their national regimes – details can be accessed through the UNECE website.
In the EU, GHS has been implemented through the CLP Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008. (Guidance on how to comply with the provisions of the new Regulation on Classification, Packaging and Labelling of substances and mixtures)

Status of GHS implementation listed by country