Secure Safe Use of Hazardous Chemicals in Workplaces Full Implementation of GHS from Jan. 1st, 2016
- Publish Date：2016-01-06
According to the data and statistics produced by the International Labor Organization (ILO), around 60 percent of occupational
injuries were resulted from chemical hazards. There are currently 19,000 chemicals classified as hazardous chemicals in Taiwan.
Chemicals are an input into nearly every industry. The petrochemical and high tech industries have the largest scale of chemical
production and consumption that millions of workers are engaged in related activities. Therefore to secure safe use of hazardous
chemicals in workplaces, the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) is fully implemented
on the date of January 1st, 2016 by the MOL. This is an important milestone in the local chemical management in Taiwan. The
manufactures, importers, suppliers or employers must have the ingredients, hazard statements, and precautionary statements
disclosed on a label. Labors shall also receive chemical safety information and training thereof to protect their safety and health.
MOL Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) said that the GHS system was introduced by the United Nations
in 2008. And regarding the GHS implementation progress in the different areas, Taiwan follows phase-in introduction of GHS
system. During the period from 2008 to 2013, the authority designated the substances that were highly hazardous and used in
large volume for GHS classification and labelling by three-phase announcement. It was also announced two years ago that full
GHS implementation would be scheduled by January 1st, 2016 for all hazardous chemicals, which allowed one-year transitional
period (from January 1st, 2016 to December 31st, 2016) for chemicals that had not been designated.
Violations of the requirement shall be subject to a fine of no less than NT$30,000 but no more than NT$150,000; notification has
been given to make improvements within a limited time period but has failed to do so, an additional fine per violation may be
levied. The authority will target petrochemical and high tech worksites for occupational safety and health inspection in the
coming year of 2016. Also a GHS website providing Safety Data Sheets of approximately 4600 substances was established to help
industry with the transition.
OSHA indicated that the range of chemicals in common use in industry is wide; improper management with workers who lack
any fundamental understanding of chemicals may not only lead to undesirable occupational injuries or accidents such as fires
and explosion, but pose a grave danger to the environment or even arise food safety problems. Labelling and hazard
communication forms the information basis for the sound chemical management. Therefore OSHA called upon the actors and
employers in the hazardous chemical supply chain to implement the GHS as quickly as possible.
source:
http://www.osha.gov.tw/%E4%B8%BB%E9%81%B8%E5%96%AE/2726/2730/10096/ (link is external)