Until HazCom 2012 and GHS came along, it was a sort of free market for employers and labs and manufacturers of chemicals when it came to labelling. HazCom 1994 did not specify a precise labelling format. It allowed labelling on containers and workplace secondary containers to be “free form” so long as they achieved the intended effect of informing users. NFPA and HMIS system of labelling was and still is prevalent. GHS labelling changed the free-form labelling into a well-structured uniform format that must be followed now and in the future.
The GHS label format has six elements comprising of product identifier, supplier information, signal word, pictogram, hazard statement and precautionary statement. There is a set of pictograms from which one is to be chosen and this is determined by classification and categorization of a chemical. This also influences the signal words used and the hazard statement. Change is a difficult process and transitioning to the new GHS labelling system is even more so because of the confusion the numbering system creates. Under the good old NFPA or HMIS system, the higher the number the greater the hazard level it indicated. In GHS it is the other way around. Lower numbers denote higher hazard factor. Even NFPA and other agencies expressed doubts that the number system is bound to cause confusions. The workaround arrived at is that one need not indicate numbers to indicate severity of hazards under the HazCom 2012 labelling system even though everything else must conform to the GHS labelling protocols in the larger interests of safety and uniformity. The outcome is that one is free to use GHS and NFPA/HMIS labels or use only the GHS label and incorporate more information. Workplaces labels can continue to be used according to the NFPA/HMIS format. The proviso is that these must be consistent with the new HazCom 2012. It boils down to one thing: one can continue to use existing labels but knowledge of GHS labels, the text and the symbols used in it is necessary for employees and this knowledge is transferred through training. Though workplace secondary containers can continue to be in NFPA/HMIS format, they must include information contained in the GHS label on the primary container. This again means familiarity with GHS labelling system. Employers find it in their interest to upgrade employee knowledge level through appropriate training at the hands of experts like ICSDS.
Services for GHS container labels by ICSDS are part of the overall GHS SDS services and training is an adjunct since well informed and trained employees can not only keep themselves safe but also ensure safety of property. There is flexibility in secondary labelling but when it comes to primary GHS labels there can be no compromises since a container may travel across borders and imprecise information could pose a threat to people involved in handling the container in transit. ICSDS team members possess depth of knowledge and the capability to use precisely the words and pictograms that convey the right information, even in multiple languages if so required.
The GHS label format has six elements comprising of product identifier, supplier information, signal word, pictogram, hazard statement and precautionary statement. There is a set of pictograms from which one is to be chosen and this is determined by classification and categorization of a chemical. This also influences the signal words used and the hazard statement. Change is a difficult process and transitioning to the new GHS labelling system is even more so because of the confusion the numbering system creates. Under the good old NFPA or HMIS system, the higher the number the greater the hazard level it indicated. In GHS it is the other way around. Lower numbers denote higher hazard factor. Even NFPA and other agencies expressed doubts that the number system is bound to cause confusions. The workaround arrived at is that one need not indicate numbers to indicate severity of hazards under the HazCom 2012 labelling system even though everything else must conform to the GHS labelling protocols in the larger interests of safety and uniformity. The outcome is that one is free to use GHS and NFPA/HMIS labels or use only the GHS label and incorporate more information. Workplaces labels can continue to be used according to the NFPA/HMIS format. The proviso is that these must be consistent with the new HazCom 2012. It boils down to one thing: one can continue to use existing labels but knowledge of GHS labels, the text and the symbols used in it is necessary for employees and this knowledge is transferred through training. Though workplace secondary containers can continue to be in NFPA/HMIS format, they must include information contained in the GHS label on the primary container. This again means familiarity with GHS labelling system. Employers find it in their interest to upgrade employee knowledge level through appropriate training at the hands of experts like ICSDS.
Services for GHS container labels by ICSDS are part of the overall GHS SDS services and training is an adjunct since well informed and trained employees can not only keep themselves safe but also ensure safety of property. There is flexibility in secondary labelling but when it comes to primary GHS labels there can be no compromises since a container may travel across borders and imprecise information could pose a threat to people involved in handling the container in transit. ICSDS team members possess depth of knowledge and the capability to use precisely the words and pictograms that convey the right information, even in multiple languages if so required.