While observing proper GHS guidelines when creating product labels can lead to safer, more transparent chemical items, there may be other hazardous elements that need to be accounted for on the container. OptiMedia Labs supplies the printers and software needed to make GHS labels, but also the means of addressing other concerns that may not be explicitly mentioned under those standards.
Gary Vegh of ERA Environmental addresses this as a possible misconception manufacturers could have when preparing for labeling compliance. True safety requires investigating contents’ dangers beyond the most obvious requirements and giving users as many details as possible about the risks of using a specific product. Vegh even says that Safety Data Sheets can list some of the overlooked dangers in their own section, referencing them as “Hazard Not Classified by the GHS.”
In addition, Vegh provides an example in which combustible or asphyxiant chemicals that aren’t normally covered by GHS protocols could be addressed by inclusive language statements instead, if they are accurate.
“In the first case, your SDS hazard statement should include language like, ‘May displace oxygen and cause rapid suffocation,'” he writes. “In the second case, your hazard statement should explain, ‘May form combustible dust concentrations in the air.'”
Although the GHS pictograms are designed to indicate dangers across language barriers, accompanying them with extra disclaimers and instructions may be necessary to cover every possible hazard. Something that isn’t specifically addressed could still need to be declared.
The GHS-ready professional printing solutions we sell help chemical companies follow the requirements that have been laid out for them, but also give them freedom to create other important identifiers. You can read more about these printers, the GHS pictogram and why it’s important to stay within the requirements on our GHS Chemical Labels page.
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