In June, the EIA reported that the United Nations Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS) had been adopted by Fed/OSHA. On May 6th, Cal/OSHA also adopted the system in areas where the requirements do not conflict.
Federal OSHA has released a Training Requirements Fact Sheet on the Revised Hazard Communication Standard portions of which go into effect December 1, 2013. This is the date by which employers must train their employees on how to read safety data sheets and labels in the new GHS format.
Additional compliance dates to be aware of:
June 1, 2015 – Chemical manufacturers and distributors must complete their reclassification of chemicals based on the GHS criteria and update their safety data sheets (SDSs) and labels by this date.
December 1, 2015 – Distributors may ship inventory with old SDSs and labels until this date. In effect distributors get an extra 6 months to “use up” their old inventory, hence the different date of compliance for them.
June 1, 2016 – Full employer compliance is expected by this date. This is the date by which employers must:
• Provide additional training regarding any of the new hazards that have been identified during that reclassification process
• Update all labeling and Hazard Communication programs to align them with the new Cal/OSHA 5194 standard.
We hope you find this information useful and if we can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact the EIA Loss Prevention department at 916-850-7300.
Related Articles and Links:
Cal/OSHA Adopts New Global Harmonization Standard Changes
Implementing New Global Harmonization Standard Changes
Hazard Communication Standard QuickCards
