OSHA Aligns Its Hazard Communication Standard with the United Nations' Globally Harmonized System

On March 20th, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published its final Globally Harmonized System (GHS) rule for classifying and labeling chemicals, which aligns with the United Nation's GHS for Classification and Labelling of Chemicals. The final GHS rule changes OSHA's criteria for classifying physical and health hazards, adopts standardized labeling requirements, and requires a standardized order of information on safety data sheets. The rule includes 10 health hazard categories and 16 physical hazard categories. Employers must train employees on the new labeling and safety data sheet requirements by December 1, 2013. Employers must ensure the labels are compliant by June 1, 2015.