GHS (CLP/GHS system) IN PRACTICE - Agencija za hemikalije

1. INTRODUCTION1.0 BackgroundThe purpose of this document is to give suppliers, professional users of hazardous chemicals as well as generalpublic basic information on GHS, CLP Regulation and Serbian CLP/GHS. In this manual you will also find theanswers on the FAQ in the filed of chemicals in Serbia.The full official text of the CLP/GHS Rulebook (“Official Gazette of RS” No 64/10) is available on the followingweb link: http://www.ekoplan.gov.rs/shema/1.1 What is GHS? How it is developed and its main goal?Development of GHSThe GHS is an acronym for The Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals. It is asystem for standardizing and harmonizing the classification and labelling of chemicals.The GHS Document, so called "The Purple Book", is not a regulation or a standard but global agreement. Itestablishes agreed hazard classification and communication provisions with explanatory information on how toapply the system. The elements in the GHS supply a mechanism to meet the basic requirement of any hazardcommunication system, which is to decide if the chemical is hazardous and to prepare a label and Safety DataSheet (SDS) as appropriate.Across the world, countries have different rules on classification and labelling. For example, a chemical could beclassified as ‘toxic’ or ‘explosive’ in one country but not in another. Different symbols are also used to indicate thesame hazards. Therefore 20 years ago the need to develop a single, globally harmonized system to addressclassification of chemicals, labels, and SDS was recognized.The most important force that drove the creation of the GHS was the international mandate adopted in the 1992United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), "Earth Summit". The harmonization ofclassification and labelling of chemicals all over the world was one of six program areas that were endorsed by theUN General Assembly to strengthen international efforts concerning the environmentally sound management ofchemicals. It was recognized that an internationally harmonized approach to classification and labelling wouldprovide the foundation for all countries to develop comprehensive national programs to ensure the safe use ofchemicals.The main goals of GHS:.1 SUBSTANCE1 CLASSIFICATION1 LABEL1 SAFETY DATA SHEET (SDS)all over the world!The first version of the GHS Document was approved by the Committee of Experts in year 2002 in Geneva. Afterthat GHS has been regularly amended. So GHS is driven and developed at UN level. In order to amend it youmust feed into the UN discussion. The third revised edition of the GHS was published in 2009.The Plan of Implementation of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), adopted in Johannesburgin 2002, encourages countries to implement the GHS as soon as possible. Information about the status ofimplementation of the GHS by country is available onhttp://www.unece.org/trans/danger/publi/ghs/implementation_e.html.3