One of the 2016 priorities of the PESA HSE Committee was the Globally Harmonized System for Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS). To help educate PESA membership, the HSE Committee developed a support tool. HSE Committee Member Stephen Rabke, Manager, Occupational Health and Ecotoxicology, Newpark Resources Inc., created a video to explain the basic transition from MSDS to SDS information.
The system was adopted by the United Nations in 2003 in order to harmonize the chemical regulations and standards of different countries. The United States officially adopted GHS in 2012, referred to as Hazcom 2012, and by 12/1/13 all employees were to have been trained on the new Safety Data Sheets (SDS) and label elements. Other key implementation dates in the US included 6/1/15 when all Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) were converted to SDS and 12/1/15 when distributors were required to use GHS compliant labels. By 6/1/16, all workplace, hazard communication programs, including employee training, needed to be updated. While formal introduction of the new program has been completed, educational efforts to support the use of the SDS and labels continue.
The PESA HSE Committee continues to address current issues that are critical to our sector and industry.
Watch the video on YouTube at: youtu.be/f0QOniIeiiQ
