What you need to know
Q: What is the purpose of the GHS?
A: The purpose of the GHS is to provide a comprehensive international system for defining health, physical, and environmental hazards of chemicals; classifying chemicals based on their specific hazards; and communicating hazard information and protective measures consistently throughout the world.
Q: Why is the GHS necessary?
A: The GHS is necessary because of the global economy in which chemicals are imported and exported among different countries. With international trade in chemicals comes the risk that chemical suppliers in some countries might not do as good a job of identifying hazards of their products or of recommending precautions to prevent exposure to hazards.
Q: How will the GHS make workplaces safer?
A: Implementation of the GHS is expected to create a safer work environment and reduce chemical exposures for workers around the world. It is believed that consistent and simplified communications about chemicals and safe work practices provided by the GHS will create greater awareness of hazards, resulting in safer use of chemicals.
Q: Will chemical labels also change under the GHS?
A: Yes, there may be changes. But since many labels used in the United States already meet GHS standards, labels under the GHS will often look similar to the labels you are used to.