HSC Publishes Chemical Classification, Labeling Regulation Consultation

August 28, 2007 // Published as a news service by IHS

The U.K. Health and Safety Commission (HSC) launched a 12-week consultation on the proposed European regulation on the classification, labeling and packaging of chemicals, based on the United Nation's Globally Harmonised System (UN GHS).

The regulation, which is being negotiated by the 25 member states of the European Union (EU-25), will eventually replace the existing classification and labeling system that many chemical suppliers will know through the Chemicals (Hazard Information and Packaging for Supply) Regulations - known as CHIP.

The consultation invites stakeholders to review the proposed regulation and respond to the HSC with comments, which will be taken into consideration once detailed negotiations with EU-25 begin in mid-September.

The European Commission (EC) formally launched the proposed regulation on 27 June 2007. The regulation was designed to help achieve a global system for identifying the hazards in chemicals and advising users of those hazards through labels.

Although many of the duties to classify, label and package hazardous chemicals correctly will remain the same, the regulation will introduce:

• Some new scientific criteria to classify hazards.
• Some new hazard pictograms or symbols.
• New hazard and precautionary statements for the labels that will alert users to the dangers present.

According to HSC, the U.K. will seek to secure the wider global benefits offered by the adoption of the UN GHS for classification and labeling of chemicals, but wishes to keep close to the boundaries of the familiar and established EU system for supply and transport.

Further details of the proposed draft European Regulation can be found on the HSE web site at http://www.hse.gov.uk/ghs/. Additional information about the UN GHS is available at http://www.unece.org/trans/danger/publi/ghs/ghs_welcome_e.html.

Source: U.K. Health and Safety Commission (HSC).