Expert Hazard Communication for Global Safety

The Globally Harmonized System (GHS) is an international framework designed to standardize the classification and labelling of chemicals, ensuring consistent communication of hazards worldwide. It’s not a regulation on its own but a set of building blocks that countries and regions can adopt to create their own regulations aimed at improving chemical safety.

While the core principles of GHS remain consistent globally, each country or region adapts its own version of the system. For example, the REACH and CLP Regulations in the European Union, OSHA HazCom in the United States, and Canadian WHMIS all follow the GHS structure but have their unique requirements and nuances.

To ensure your products meet global safety standards, it’s crucial to understand the differences in how GHS is implemented across regions. By doing so, you can properly tailor your product documentation and labels to stay compliant in every market. Ready to navigate these complexities? We’re here to help!

Safety Data Sheets (SDS) are essential documents in the chemical industry, providing vital safety information about substances and mixtures across nearly every sector. But does every chemical require an SDS? The short answer is no. Some chemicals are exempt from this requirement.

While the GHS system has brought global consistency, each country or jurisdiction may have its own rules regarding SDS provision. Generally, an SDS is mandatory for chemicals classified as hazardous according to the local GHS regulations. However, in certain places, like the EU, an SDS may also be required even if a mixture isn’t considered hazardous—if it contains hazardous substances above certain levels.

There are also exemptions for specific product categories (though these vary by region), including:

• Cosmetics
• Pharmaceuticals
• Veterinary products
• Food products

Even if an SDS isn’t legally required, many companies choose to create one for their chemicals. Why? Because the SDS is one of the most effective ways to communicate crucial safety information across the supply chain, and often no other document format is specified.

Need help determining whether your product requires an SDS? We’re here to guide you!

When shipping your product internationally, it’s crucial to ensure that your Safety Data Sheet (SDS) is translated into the language of the destination country. For example, if you’re based in the EU and shipping to Brazil, while you may provide the SDS in English or your local language, it’s the customer’s responsibility in Brazil to translate and adjust it according to local regulations. Whether you handle the translation or not depends on your contractual agreement, not the legislation.

However, as a general rule, if you’re sending products to countries like Portugal, the SDS should be in Portuguese, and for products shipped to China, it should be in Chinese. This means that a single SDS will rarely cover all geographies, as language requirements are just the beginning.

It’s also important to consider GHS implementation differences. For instance, an EU-compliant SDS for Portugal may not meet Brazil’s requirements due to variations in GHS building blocks, SDS formats, or OEL values. This underscores the need for tailored SDS documents for each country where you ship your products.

In countries that haven’t implemented GHS, or where there is no mandatory format, the rules might be more flexible or distinct from standard GHS-based approaches. Understanding these GHS variables is key to navigating global compliance and ensuring your product documentation meets the necessary standards in every market.