LEARN MORE about GHS, Part 1: What Is HazCom GHS?
LEARN MORE about GHS, Part 1: What Is HazCom GHS?
Globally Harmonized System
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As most people who work with hazardous materials have already learned (or will soon find out), the term “HazCom GHS” stands for Globally Harmonized System for classification and labeling of chemicals.
Originally proposed in 1992 at a United Nations “Earth Summit” in Rio de Janeiro participated in by 172 governments, now after many years of development HazCom GHS is an international agreement on a system to standardize the way hazardous materials are classified.
The concept is that the same criteria be used all over the world to determine if a material is flammable, toxic, corrosive, etc. Under GHS we can be sure that, if a material is considered toxic in China, it will also be considered toxic all around the globe.
As a very practical part of this new system, HazCom GHS also harmonizes the way hazardous materials are labeled and the way their specific hazards are communicated through Safety Data Sheets (known as SDS for short).
Before HazCom GHS each country had its own standard for determining what was hazardous. Each had its own unique system for communicating these hazards. This created dangerous confusion for product users and avoidable expense for companies that manufacture, use, and sell products across international borders. Each chemical had to be re-classified for each specific market. HazCom GHS is intended to replace the multiple systems with a single unified approach.
This is the first of a four-part series on the new GHS standards.
Part 2: Who Will Be Affected by GHS?
Part 3: What Must Be Done to Comply with HazCom GHS?
Part 4: When Will GHS Start?
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