The Power of the Globally Harmonized System
In 2003, the United Nations (UN) adopted the Globally Harmonized System, short for the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS). The GHS included a criterion for classifying health, physical, and environmental hazards and required specific info on what was to be included on hazardous chemicals' labels and safety data sheets.
In 2009, OSHA published a proposed rulemaking to align OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) with the GHS. In other terms, OSHA updated its HCS and adopted GHS. The alignment of the GHS and the HCS ensured that the classification of chemicals and how hazard information on labels and safety data sheets (SDS) would be communicated were the same. Therefore, most countries would now be required to have the same information on labels and SDS.
So, what changed?
Many things changed with OSHA’s HCS, but the most significant changes are that SDS now requires 16 sections, and each section has a specific topic on the chemical. For example, section 3 of a SDS must include the composition or information on ingredients, and section 7 covers how to handle and store that chemical properly. In addition, chemical labels now require six components – a signal word, pictogram, precautionary and hazard statements, the product name, and supplier identification. So an employee who is enrolled in a worksite’s Hazard Communication Program must be trained on how to read hazards on chemical labels and SDS.
The Power of Alignment
I saw the power of this alignment in action when I was on my honeymoon in Greece. I worked out at the gym, and cleaning products were available to wipe down equipment after use. Unfortunately, the cleaning product's label was entirely in Greek writing. So I naturally can't read the label – I have no idea what the hazards are of this chemical. Or do I?
Check out those pictograms!
We have the corrosive pictogram (corrosive damage to metals as well as skin and eyes) and the Exclamation Mark (Irritant to the skin and eye, acute toxicity, and more) located on the chemical’s label.
Can I read Greek, or was it magic? Nope, neither, it was the power of the HCS aligning with the GHS! I could tell the hazards IMMEDIATELY from glancing at the label for 2 seconds. Why? The pictograms are the same in the United States and Greece, thanks to the converging of the HCS and GHS. It excited me that even though I was in another country, I could still identify the hazards of this chemical using the pictograms because of the GHS and HCS duo. Super cool if you ask me.
Check out this OSHA quick Card for more information on pictograms and what they represent.
All worksites with hazardous chemicals are required to have a Hazard Communication Program.
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This blog was written by Brandy Bossle, Triangle Safety Consulting LLC's Owner and Principal Consultant. She offers audits, expertise, resources, and guidance to help small to medium-sized manufacturing facilities improve their safety program.
She is a Certified Safety Professional (CSP) under the Board of Certified Safety Professionals.
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