World peace! Game show contestants say they want it, school children pray for it, philosophers and world leaders aspire to it, but there’s a long way to go before it’s achieved.

Getting people to work together toward a common goal is a worldwide challenge. However, in the world of FM there is now one unifying program that will help countries work together to reduce risk in facilities. It was adopted by the United Nations in 2003, and it espouses the goal of global harmonization. As coincidence would have it, the program has been named the Globally Harmonized System (of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals), or GHS.

GHS was implemented as an initiative to bring the chemical regulations and standards of different countries into one common classification. It is an internationally adopted system for the classification and labeling of hazardous chemicals that includes established criteria for sorting hazards and for categorizing them according to their relative risks.

The system defines and classifies the hazards of chemical products and communicates health and safety information on labels and safety data sheets. The goal is that the same set of rules for classifying hazards, and the same format and content for labels and safety data sheets (SDS), will be adopted and used around the world. The GHS was developed to identify both the hazards and the risks associated with chemicals, and it provides established language and symbols for each hazard class and each category within a class.

An international team of hazard communication experts initially developed the GHS. The program includes criteria for the classification of health, physical and environmental hazards. It also specifies what information should be included on hazardous chemical labels as well as safety data sheets. The United States was an active participant in the development of the GHS and is one of the United Nations members that has been established to maintain and coordinate the implementation of the system. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) have all adopted the GHS for use in the United States. The full, official text of the GHS can be found on the United Nations web page.

For facility management professionals, the health and safety of all personnel in and around the facility is of paramount importance. There are several areas in which FM professionals should concentrate. The first would be hazard identification. A hazardous materials survey or assessment identifies the presence of any dangerous chemicals in a facility. The survey is performed in order to identify all materials that could be harmful if they are not handled correctly.

A job hazard analysis (JHA) should also be performed. It focuses on how tasks are performed so the danger of exposure or spills can be mitigated. Also perform a risk assessment that determines the probability of a hazard causing injury or harm.

The information from these assessments allow FMs to approach a hazardous material, or HazMat, policy on multiple fronts. Information can be used to develop the processes needed to handle, use and dispose of hazardous products, and FMs are then able to train personnel on HazMat processes. They can also document all HazMat processes for future reference. Of course, the GHS provides tools to guide and improve processes based on the accumulated expertise of the professionals who devise the program.

Specific GHS language has been adopted to provide notification of hazardous materials. GHS includes a signal word such as “danger” or “warning” when defining the chemical. A symbol, or pictogram, is also provided. For example, a flame within a red-bordered diamond. A hazard statement (such as “causes serious eye damage”) will be added along with precautionary statements for safely using the chemical.

A critical part of this hazard classification system is the set of criteria that describes a given class of hazard (for example, flammable liquids) and the ratings (or categories) of the hazards within each hazard class.

The hazard categories are numbered from one to five. The lower the number, the greater the severity of the hazard. So, category one hazards are the most dangerous. It is important to note that this GHS numbering system is the opposite of the NFPA rating system. Under the NFPA system, the most dangerous rating is four, while zero would pose a minimal hazard.

There are four types of hazards recognized in the GHS. These are:

  • Physical hazards define the danger related to the chemicals’ physical properties, specifically if it is explosive, flammable or capable of oxidation.

  • There are health considerations, whereby exposure to the chemical will cause detrimental effects to the health of personnel.

  • There is the environmental hazard that will cause harm to the air, water or the ground.

  • Hazards Not Otherwise Classified (HNOC) covers chemicals that may not have the characteristics that meet GHS classification criteria, yet are still deemed dangerous.

Some authorities may also require notifications for mixtures that contain hazardous ingredients in certain concentrations.

Typecast

How are hazardous materials or goods defined? Hazardous goods are solids, liquids or gases that can harm people, other living organisms, property or the environment. There are nine categories that are taken into consideration:

  1. Explosives

  2. Gasses

  3. Flammable Liquids

  4. Flammable Solids

  5. Oxidizing Substances and Organic Peroxides

  6. Toxic Substances and Infectious Substances

  7. Radioactive Materials

  8. Corrosive Substances

  9. Miscellaneous Dangerous Goods

Classifications require that manufacturers and importers evaluate and classify the chemicals for which they are responsible. This process identifies the relevant data regarding the hazards of a chemical and defines the hazards associated with the chemical. Manufacturers must decide whether the chemical will be classified as hazardous according to the definition of a hazardous chemical and then include the determination of the degree of hazard.

Training

In order to comply with the universal adoption of this program, epitomized by OSHA’s revised Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) in the United States, companies are required to train employees on the significant changes associated with the implementation of the GHS.

The central issue in training about HazMat on the premises is the shift from focusing on the “Right to Know” precepts of the past to a more comprehensive “Right to Understand” for all employees. Employees must be informed about the presence of any hazardous chemicals in their work area(s). They must also be given the location of the chemicals and access to a written hazard communication program, including the list of hazardous chemicals located in the facility and the corresponding Safety Data Sheets (SDS).

Additionally, GHS training requirements need to cover an understanding of the methods used to detect the presence or release of hazardous chemicals in the employees’ work area. For example, the physical appearance or odor of the chemicals. Personnel must become familiar with the physical and health hazards of the chemicals in their work area, including everything from simple asphyxiation to combustible dust, to pyrophoric gases, and any other hazards not otherwise classified. Employees must know what safety measures and precautions they can take to protect themselves from hazards, including those implemented by the company. This includes knowledge of emergency procedures and the use of required personal protective equipment (PPE).

Safety Data Sheets (SDS)

Most facility managers have dealt with MSDS documentation on chemicals in the workplace. Binders are maintained in designated locations for reference, the sheets must be up to date, and a system must be in place to ensure all HazMat in the facility is accounted. This process has served employees well in the past, but the GHS program has refined the presentation of materials. The adoption of SDS is an essential component of the GHS. It is intended to provide comprehensive information about a substance or mixture for use in workplace chemical management.

In the GHS, the SDS serves the same function that the Material Safety Data Sheet or MSDS does in OSHA's HazCom Standard. The introduction of the SDS format, with its uniformity and consistency, makes it even easier to track and mitigate any negative effects of HazMat. The universal acceptance of this format has increased safety in the workplace.

The SDS is normally product related and not specific to any particular workplace. An SDS should be produced for substances and mixtures which meet the harmonized criteria for physical, health, or environmental hazards under the GHS. Specifications include all mixtures which contain ingredients that meet the criteria for carcinogenic, toxic to reproduction, or specific target organ toxicity in concentrations exceeding the cut-off limits for SDS specified by the criteria for mixtures.

The information on an SDS enables the employer to develop an active program of worker protection measures, including training specific to the workplace. It provides measures necessary to protect the environment. It also provides an important source of information for other target audiences in the GHS – so certain protections can be utilized in the transport of dangerous goods. Data for emergency responders (including poison centers) and for professionals involved in the use of pesticides and any consumers thereby affected are also included.

SDS Format

The most important distinction between MSDS and SDS is how information in the document is presented. In the MSDS format, there was no rhyme or reason as to how the sheets were organized. Reviewing them for pertinent information, especially in an emergency, could be time-consuming and confusing. The SDS represents a uniformity in data reporting using the following 16 headings. Each page is the same, no matter the manufacturer or the country of origin.

These first three sections provide the most basic and important information. They identify what the material is, what hazard it poses and what ingredients it includes.

1. Identification

2. Hazard(s) identification

3. Composition/data on ingredients

Sections four through eight tell workers how to deal with the material. This advice starts with the most urgent concerns and works down to day-to-day safety.

4. First-aid measures

5. Fire-fighting measures

6. Accidental release measures

7. Handling and storage

8. Exposure controls/PPE

Sections nine to 11 go into detail about the nature of the material itself and where its hazards are derived.

9. Physical and chemical properties

10. Stability and reactivity

11. Toxicological information

Sections 12-15 cover concerns that are not part of OSHA’s jurisdiction. These sections are still required as part of the standard SDS format. Environmental concerns and transportation requirements are included here.

12. Ecological information

13.Disposal considerations

14. Transport information

15 .Regulatory information

Section 16 is a catch-all for any other relevant details that might not fit elsewhere such as the date the document was prepared.

16. Other information

Harmonization

The GHS is an international attempt to bring into agreement the chemical regulation and standards of different countries. It is meant to be a logical, comprehensive and universal approach to defining the heath, physical and environmental hazards of chemicals. It is designed to provide safeguards and minimize the threats and dangers represented through chemical use. It has created a classification process that reports all available data on chemicals for comparison with defined hazard criteria. This communicates hazard information in a prescribed and uniform way through appropriate labeling and the consistent format of safety data sheets. The program provides a set of guidelines to help ensure the safe production, transport, handling, use and disposal of hazardous materials. And it is a set of recommendations, or a collection of best practices, that can be used to the benefit of all citizens in the workplace, no matter their industry or location.

It’s not world peace. But, hey, countries are working together to safeguard the health and welfare of workers while taking care of the environment. So, global harmonization sounds like a step in the right direction.