Introduction of GHS to USA
Chemicals can be very useful to mankind at the same time it may be hazardous. Their production, storage and handling should be done very carefully or they may be threat to the environment and even in some cases fatal for human beings. Owing to such concerns the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS) was adopted.There had been a great increase in the trade and commerce across the world, owing to which the transportation and handling of chemicals has been accelerated. This has often threatened the human life with the risk involved in their handling. United States of America holds an apex position in the international trade and commerce. So it is very important to have a proper classification of the chemicals on the basis of their risk factor thereby ensuring Chemical Safety in US. The US chemical industry accounts for about $450 billion of which $80 billion is the export trade of the chemicals. The GHS aims at harmonizing the classification of the hazardous chemicals according to their level of risk factor and handling them with the same level of preparedness.The GHS is not a rule or regulation by itself but the GHS document which is often referred to as purple book lays down the foundation for a worldwide safety norms for handling the chemicals, started in US but later spread to worldwide. The first draft of the GHS was first adopted in December 2002 by a Committee comprising of experts from around the world, which was published in 2003 and later it was revised with some additional features in the year 2005.It was the various daughter concerns of the United Nations which played a key role in development of the GHS. ILO formulated the need for the GHS by studying various aspects to achieve harmonization. A group by the name of Coordinating Group for the Harmonization of Chemical Classification Systems (CG/HCCS) was formed under the Inter-organization Program for the Sound Management of Chemicals (IOMC) and was made responsible for the formulation of the GHS by studying various aspects of human life in different form which included the lives of the industry workers, common people and the others. This committee also contained people from almost all the sections of the society.The current system of the GHS comprises of the factors like UN recommendations for transportation of chemicals. It also encompasses the US requirements for workplace, pesticides and consumers. Moreover it also contains directives from the European Union. All these require an extensive participation of all the governments and international organizations for its success.
