Globally Harmonized System On Chemicals

Staying up-to-date with evolving regulatory requirements not only provides peace of mind for healthcare organizations, but also reduces risk of incompliance.  As the end of the year draws near, it’s important for organizations to reassess those requirements to ensure they’re fully up-to-date and prepared to meet the many state and federal regulations relevant to them. One standard that still requires attention from many organizations is the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS). GHS is now aligned with the Hazard Communication Standard and provides a common approach to classifying chemicals and communicating hazard information on labels and safety data sheets. It is required that all potentially hazardous chemicals have information on file to ensure the safety of all personnel using these hazardous materials.

While this standard has been in effect for over a year, it’s still important to ensure all requirements have been addressed.  This includes updating Safety Data Sheets and providing additional required training to ensure employees are safe and protected from hazardous conditions.  Required trainings cover these three topics: manufacturer's label requirements, pictograms on labels and the revised standard format for SDSs. 

Other resources can be found directly on the OSHA website. Stericycle has also gone one step further by providing OSHA Quickcards on each topic, which you can access by contacting a Stericycle representative today at 855-602-6279.