OSHA Announces Pursuit of GHS
A proposed rule to align the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) with provisions of the United Nations Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) was published in the September 30 Federal Register.
A recent article in Industry Week magazine on GHS said it this way: "The goal of the GHS is to provide a consistent global framework for classifying and identifying chemical hazards." 
From the OSHA site, here is the background of GHS. For an overview, here are are the answers to ten basic things people should know about GHS.
United States GHS Expert Commentary
Kal Kawar, CIH, PE, chemical and manufacturing industry veteran, offers the following:
“The landscape has changed in the past 30 years,” said Kawar, speaking from his Chicago office. “Global compliance – including REACH, RoHS and many other directives – has taken center stage. We are now talking about a Globally Harmonized System (GHS) for Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs) where the downstream user provides input into the uses of a product, and that input has to be incorporated into the extended SDS."
He adds, "Incidentally, software modules are so sophisticated today they can leverage substance data stored in a relational database to solve regulatory challenges." More of Kal Kawar's expertise on the subject of GHS is available.
"The proposal to align the hazard communication standard with the GHS will improve the consistency and effectiveness of hazard communications and reduce chemical-related injuries, illnesses and fatalities," said acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Jordan Barab. "Following the GHS approach will increase workplace safety, facilitate international trade in chemicals, and generate cost savings from production efficiencies for firms that manufacture and use hazardous chemicals."
A number of countries, including the United States, international organizations and stakeholders participated in developing the GHS to address inconsistencies in hazard classification and communications.
Hazard Classes in the EU
The Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling (sic - the European spelling) of Chemicals (GHS) was agreed by the United Nations (UN) in Geneva in December 2002. The GHS is introduced in the European Union (EU) legislative framework through the Classification, Labelling, and Packaging (CLP) Regulation; the CLP is legally binding and directly applicable in the Member States of the EU.
The introduction of the UN GHS hazard classes in the EU is based on the so-called “building block approach”, which allows the different countries and jurisdictions to introduce those hazard classes and categories in domestic law which they consider relevant. CLP includes all of the hazard classes of the UN GHS. As CLP also builds on the previous system of classification and labelling, consisting of Dangerous Substances Directive (DSD) and Dangerous Preparations Directive (DPD), also the EU category of danger ‘hazardous to the ozone layer’ is taken up in CLP. It is expected that a corresponding hazard class will be adopted at UN level soon.
For more on classification of chemicals in the EU, please see more recent posts in this blog.
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