Towards an update of HazCom standards?
The American Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, announced at the end of May that a hearing would be held in September to hear the public's views on their latest proposal for HazCom.
Last year, OSHA presented a Notice of Proposed RuleMaking (NPRM). The purpose of the NPRM was to update its Hazard Communication Standards (HCS or HazCom). The realignment of the HazCom with the United Nations Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling (GHS) and its revision 7 (2017) had been under discussion for some time.
The changes introduced by this proposed regulation would have impacts on the classifications of aerosols, desensitised explosives and flammable gases, notably by proposing new hazard categories. New provisions for small and very small containers are also being considered in order to facilitate their labelling, which is relatively complicated, as stakeholders have often pointed out. Some hazard and precautionary statements could also be updated to provide clearer and safer information to users.
Furthermore, the transport of dangerous chemicals in bulk and their labelling in this context are also addressed in this proposal. It is also intended to allow manufacturers, importers and employers to withhold concentrations of chemical substances in SDSs (Safety Data Sheets) as trade secrets.
Other issues are also addressed by the proposal and will be considered at the hearing scheduled for September 2021.
The value of international harmonisation of hazard classifications
The Globally Harmonised System, or GHS, was established at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio in 1992. The aim of the system was to harmonise the existing systems in different countries and geographical areas.
As different countries have different approaches to the classification and labelling of the risks posed by hazardous chemical substances or mixtures, products marketed around the world could present hazards to different actors in the supply chain.
In addition to the health and safety of workers and users, it was easier for companies to have a single standard to refer to.
It was with this in mind that the CLP (Classification, Labelling, Packaging of chemicals) regulation was adopted in the European Union in order to enforce and respect the GHS standard by gradually replacing the old Community legislation. HazCom is the American application of this system. In Canada, SIMDUT is the implementation of the GHS.
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