by Brianna Crandall — December 2, 2013—Stephen Ashkin, president of The Ashkin Group consulting firm and considered by many the “father of green cleaning,” has released an explanation for facilities and cleaning professionals of some of the relevant changes to be aware of as OSHA is modifying the Hazard Communication Standard to ensure that information and labels on chemicals manufactured and used in the United States are “harmonized” with those manufactured in most other parts of the industrialized world.
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) modified Hazard Communication Standard is part of a United Nations (UN) program known as the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS), which is designed to make chemical labeling more consistent both in the USA and around the world to help protect the health and safety of all users, notes Ashkin.
OSHA says the new standards will impact more than 40 million workers in more than five million U.S. workplaces. It is also estimated that the standards will prevent over 500 chemical-related injuries and more than 40 fatalities each year, and save businesses nearly $500 million annually.
According to Ashkin, some of the major changes that cleaning professionals should be aware of include:
Hazard classification:
Chemical manufacturers and importers are required to determine if their products are hazardous and, if so, classify the hazards to be consistent with the new global hazard classification system.
Labels:
Chemical manufacturers and importers must provide a label that includes a signal word, pictogram, hazard statement, and precautionary statement for each hazard class and category. The pictograms will be especially helpful for non-technical people such as administrators, teachers, office and healthcare workers as well as cleaning workers who speak English as a second language.
Safety Data Sheets (SDS):
Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs) are being replaced by the SDSs, which require 16 specific sections listed in set order for all products. This change will significantly improve training, as well as benefit purchasers who use this information when comparing products.
Information and training:
The new standard requires workers, including cleaning workers, be trained by December 1, 2013, on new label elements and the SDS format. While the training deadline is quickly approaching, janitorial supply distributors will be able to sell their current inventory until December 1, 2015, providing ample time to effectively manage their inventory.
“While some changes have already been implemented, others will be phased in over the next two years,” says Ashkin. “This may cause some disruption, but we must remember the ultimate goal: protecting you, the cleaning professional, as well as everyone else who has exposure to cleaning chemicals.”
