Expiration of the GHS transitional period for hazardous substances on 1st June 2015:
The identification in accordance with the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) of the United Nations, which already applies to hazardous (pure) substances since 2010, now also applies to mixtures. There is therefore now a uniform system at UN-level for the classification and identification of dangerous substances.
Manufacturers are therefore obliged to deliver mixed substances with the new GHS identification and current safety data sheets. However, stocks of mixtures with the old identification indicating they were already packed and classified before 1st June 2015 can still be sold for another 2 years.
If a newly identified product is used in the company, entrepreneurs and safety officers should acquaint themselves with their impact. Employees should be trained accordingly and documents should be adapted. However, independent change of the identification of dangerous substances is not recommended, because this may result in a higher classification in the case of mixtures. The employers’ liability insurance associations can provide assistance here.
In particular, current safety data sheets, operating instructions and risk assessments must be available in the company. The register of hazardous substances and the instruction documents should be checked and adjusted if necessary. The following always applies here: The identification of hazardous substances in the operating instructions and the instruction documents must match the identification on the containers in the company.
