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Client accessThe risk posed by the use of chemicals in the workplace is a real fact. Figures can help us understand the magnitude of the problem: one in three occupational diseases is due to exposure to hazardous chemicals; this means that the risk of dying from exposure to a dangerous substance is ten times higher than dying from a workplace accident.
These figures should make us reflect on the issue and take action because risks are avoidable. Prevention is key, and the tool to assess risks and take appropriate measures is regulation.
It is a shared responsibility among all the stakeholders involved in this scenario, and companies are one of the main focal points where efforts must be made to protect people's health and the environment. But how can regulation help us?
What is the Globally Harmonized System (GHS)?
The GHS provides an internationally standardized system for the classification and labeling of chemicals. Under this system, chemical substances and mixtures are classified based on the hazards they pose to health and the environment. The way to communicate these hazards is through labels and Safety Data Sheets.
The GHS regulates all hazardous chemicals, including substances, products, mixtures, and preparations, among others. The system includes all personnel in contact with these substances, such as workers, consumers, transport workers, and emergency responders.
Adopting the GHS involves informing about chemical risks through safety data sheets and labels for substances and mixtures. These will be our allies.
To achieve this, it is important that organizations know the specific dangers of the chemicals they use or handle and that they have action protocols to avoid the adverse effects of these products.
Objectives of the Globally Harmonized System (GHS)
In a globalized world where trade is conducted internationally, the harmonization of regulations must meet the following objectives:
Firstly, ensure the protection of workers and the environment.
Achieve a risk communication system that is understandable to everyone.
Provide a common legal framework for all countries.
Minimize chemical product evaluations beyond what is necessary.
Test and approve the risks of chemical products at an international level.
The Key: Prevention
Everyone in contact with chemicals must know their dangers and the negative effects they can cause. Only through the integration of knowledge can risks be assessed and reduced.
Countries are aware of this. For example, in Europe, there are long-standing directives such as CEE 67/548 and 1999/45 on the classification, labeling, and packaging of substances and mixtures. But we live in a globalized world where products travel great distances and cross borders.
The sector has long highlighted the need for international regulation, and in recent years, this has become a reality.
This is what we know as the Globally Harmonized System (GHS), also known by its English acronym: GHS (Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals), the culmination of more than two decades of work.
History of the Globally Harmonized System (GHS)
To understand where the creation of the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) comes from, we must go back to 1992, the year of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Brazil, initiated by the International Labour Organization (ILO).
The meeting was an opportunity to set common objectives for developing a global system for harmonizing classification and labeling criteria, along with safety data sheets. Each organization took on a specific responsibility:
The International Labour Organization (ILO) was responsible for hazard communication tools.
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) developed the classification criteria for substances and mixtures hazardous to health and the environment.
The United Nations Sub-Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods (UNSCETDG) established the classification criteria for physical hazards.
The final document was approved in 2002, and the first version was published in 2003. A regulatory text must be conceived as a living organism that adapts to new realities, which is why a continuous review and update commission was established.
However, a regulation makes sense when it is implemented in the field, where it needs to be useful, so the most important phase is implementation. It is important to explain that adopting the GHS by countries is not mandatory; the decision is up to each country, so we cannot yet say that we operate in an environment with equal conditions.
In 2023, the 10th revised edition of the document was published, which you can find on the United Nations website.
Adaptations and Obstacles
Through periodic revisions, the specificities of each country's regulations are collected, and, in turn, they incorporate the GHS updates. To understand this, nothing is better than an example. It turns out that GHS did not warn about the danger of certain substances to the ozone layer, but the CLP regulation (applicable in the EU) did (specifically, phrase EUH059).
In the 2011 revision, GHS incorporated phrase H420 ("Causes damage to public health and the environment by destroying ozone in the upper atmosphere"); then, the EU included it in Regulation (EU) No 286/2011 (ATP 2 of the CLP) and removed phrase EUH059.
Another issue is the classification of substances, as each country has its own, and reaching an agreement can be complex. For example, in the EU, this aspect is regulated by the CLP, a very stringent regulation.
A regulation with a stricter classification of substances and greater usage limitations puts the industry in that country at a disadvantage, as it will face more difficulties in finding substitutes for certain substances, especially without affecting costs, and in managing the safety of its products and waste.
Therefore, the lack of uniform criteria regarding the classification of substances affects companies' competitiveness. Harmonization in this matter becomes a challenging path, as reaching agreements among all countries can influence their economies, and initially, no one is willing to give in.
However, as with everything in life, it is about finding a common ground where the balance ends up being positive for everyone.
Safe and Easy Living
In such a changing environment, we must be agile in adapting to regulations, which is why companies must be aware that managing all regulations requires efficient IT tools that facilitate the task and ensure strict compliance, as the health of users and the environment is in our hands.
eQgest is a highly efficient and affordable software tool for classifying substances, labeling, and generating safety sheets, ensuring compliance with community and international regulations.
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