Preparing for GHS: What Employers Need to Know · History of HCS OSHA creates HCS 1983 OSHA updates...

Siobhan Murphy, CSP, CIH, Industrial Hygienist

Daniel Stuckrath, CIH, Industrial Hygienist

Preparing for GHS:What Employers Need to Know

Outline• Review of hazard communication (“hazcom”)

1994

• Introduction to GHS

• Components of hazcom 2012

• Implementation timeframes

• Resources and training opportunities

History of HCS

OSHA creates HCS 1983

OSHA updates HCS 1994

OSHA aligns HCS with GHS (Pub. 3/12; Eff. 5/12)

Oregon OSHA adopts (9/25/12)

Hazcom 1994• Required for employers with hazardous chemicals

• Employees need to know the hazards they work with, how to handle and store chemicals, and what are the protective measures.

• Training

• Program

• MSDS

• Retention

What is GHS?• Acronym for The Globally Harmonized System

of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals

• System for standardizing how chemicals are classified and hazards are communicated

• Not a regulation

• Not a standard

What is GHS?Logical and comprehensive approach to:

• Define health, physical, and environmental hazards of a chemical

• Create classification schemes that use available data on chemicals for comparison with the defined hazard criteria

• Communicate hazard information and protective measures on labels and safety data sheets (SDS)

What is GHS?

http://www.unece.org/trans/danger/publi/ghs/ghs_rev00/00files_e.html

“The purple book”

What is GHS?

GHSFlammable

0-200◦F

EU0-131◦F

(highly/extremely flammable)

OSHA HCSFlammable 0-100◦F

Combustible 100-200◦FCPSC

Extremely flammable <20◦F

Flammable 0-100◦FCombustible 100-150◦F

GHSFlammable

0-200◦F

What is GHS?

Category Criteria1 FP <73, BP <952 FP <73, BP >953 FP >73, BP <1404 FP >73, BP <200

What is GHS?• It is optional for countries to adopt.

• Once adopted, regulatory bodies or competent authorities take the agreed-upon criteria and provisions and implement them through their own regulatory process.

Hazcom 2012 –What is not changing?• Scope and exemptions of hazcom

• Requirement that containers be properly labeled

• Safety data sheet distribution and availability in the workplace

• Requirement that all affected employees be trained to recognize hazards and take proper precautions

• Trade secrets

Hazcom 2012 –What is changing?• How chemicals are classified

• Label content

• MSDS —> SDS

• Standardized 16-section format

• Employee training on new labels and safety data sheets

GHS

Hazard statements

Labels

Precautionary statements

SDSPictograms

Training

Signal words

Hazcom vs. Hazcom 2012

Side-by-side comparison resource: http://www.osha.gov/dsg/hazcom/side-by-side.html

Hazard determination

Material safety data sheets

“Chemical” means any element, chemical compound, or mixture of elements or compounds.

Hazcom1994

Hazard classification

Safety data sheets

“Chemical” means any substance or mixture of substances.

Hazcom2012

GHS components adopted in the revised hazcom standard• Classification standardization

• Physical hazards

• Health hazards

• Safety data sheets (SDS)

• Labels

• Pictograms, signal words, hazard statements, precautionary statements

• Employee training

GHS hazard groups

Hazardous chemicals or substances

Health hazards

Physical hazards

Environmental hazards

Hazcom 2012 hazard groups

Hazardous chemicals or substances

Health hazards

Physical hazards

Hazard classification• Two hazard categories

• Health hazard

• Physical hazard

• Now includes simple asphyxiation, combustible dust and pyrophoric gases, and hazards not otherwise classified

• Test method neutral

STOT – Specific target organ toxicity

Labels – primary or shipped• Specific requirements

• Product identifier

• Supplier identification

• Name, address, and phone number

• Signal word

• Danger

• Warning

Labels – primary or shipped• Pictograms

• Hazard statements• Nature of the hazard(s)

• Degree of hazard

• Precautionary statementsMeasures taken to reduce

effects resulting from:

• Exposure to a hazardous chemical

• Improper storage or handling

Example: shipped label

Source: Federal OSHA

Labels – secondaryor workplaceRequired information includes:

• Same info as on shipped label

• Product identifier and words, pictures, symbols or combination thereof, which provide at least general information regarding hazards...

...which, in conjunction with other information immediately available,...

...provides employees with the specific information.

• Can’t contradict primary label or SDS information

What else has changed?• Signage: substance-specific rules

(such as lead, inorganic arsenic, asbestos...)

• Spray finishing

• Flammable and combustible liquids

• Dipping and coating operations

• Oregon rules for reinforced plastics manufacturing

• Hazardous waste operations and emergency response (HAZWOPER)

• Welding, cutting, and brazing

• Ventilation

Pictograms• Must have red borders on a white background

with black picture

• Federal and Oregon OSHA: adopted eight of nine

• Five of the eight have multiple, but similar, meanings

Employee training• Labels

• Shipped containers

• Workplace containers

• Safety data sheets

• Including the type and order of information

• Identification of any hazards

• Simple asphyxiation, combustible dust and pyrophoricgas hazards, and hazards not otherwise classified

Manufacturer, importer, and distributor • Determine hazard classification and categories

• Develop hazcom 2012 - label elements and SDS

• Verify containers have hazcom 2012 label elements and SDS within implementation dates

GHS: federal and Oregon OSHA timelinesDate Requirement(s) Primary Impact12/1/2013 Train employees on new labeling

(pictograms, signal words, precautionary and hazard statements) and the 16 section SDS format

Employers

6/1/2015 Complete hazard classification using specified criteria and produce GHS-styled labels and 16 section SDS

Chemicalmanufacturers and importers

12/1/2015 Distributors shall only ship containers with GHS compliant labels.

Distributors

6/1/2016 Labeling and SDS are consistent with hazcom 2012 requirements.Updated hazcom writtentraining that reflects newly identified hazards is completed.

Employers

1.Audit

2.Train

3.Labels

4.Update

Hazcom 2012 resources• OSHA resource page

osha.gov/dsg/hazcom/index.html

• Oregon OSHA resource page

• SAIF’s safety topic page: Hazcom/GHS

• New safety and health guide with summary of changes, preparation checklists, resources

• New hazcom 2012 training video (English and Spanish)

orosha.org/pdf/pubs/4960.pdf

http://www.osha.gov/dsg/hazcom/

Saif.com/safety

> Hazard communication/GHS