Do you know what GHS is, and are you compliant?
What is GHS? It is a term often thrown around by safety professionals at job sites, workshops, or anywhere you may have hazardous chemicals and worker/employee exposure.
GHS stands for Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals. It is a part of OSHA’s HAZCOM standard, or Hazard Communication Standard (HCS).
The HCS is now aligned with GHS. The purpose of the update was to reduce trade barriers and result in productivity improvements for American businesses that regularly handle, store, and use hazardous chemicals. If your company has not ever educated your employees on this change to the standard, you are already immediately out of compliance. This training should be documented and reflect when it happened, as well as who attended.
Part of the HAZCOM standard which all of this falls under is the requirement to educate your employees and workers on HCS. This should take place when a new employee joins your company, a new product is introduced, or when a change to the Safety Data Sheet has been introduced. All hazardous products must include information readily available from a
Safety Data Sheet
and include a proper
identification label
which should list some of the same information that is found on the SDS.
One of the key components of the label and the SDS is the visibility of pictograms and a Signal Word (Danger or Caution). The pictograms are classified into nine categories found
here
. They give a quick indicator of the hazard of the product being used.
Labeling on the job site is critical when it comes to the HAZCOM standard. If you transfer a product from the original container into a secondary container, it must meet the HCS requirements. The only exception is a container in which the worker has complete control of and is in their possession. Possession does not mean around the corner on a shelf, possession means control with no ability for another worker to take the container. If the container is no longer to be used, it is to be properly discarded or returned to the original container that it came from. One of the most common abuses of this, is containers with water being used for silica activities or for cleaning paint brushes. These containers must state that it contains non-potable water.
There is a lot of information when it comes to GHS, HCS, and the HAZCOM standard besides a lot of acronyms. You can reach out to our safety team using the contact information below, or at
www.IowaCSSI.com
.
Have a great month, be especially aware of kids being back at school,
and as always, WORKSAFE!
