General rules for a unified Hazard banding in compliance with the new Globally Harmonised System (GHS) for use in control banding tools

摘要

Many control banding tools use hazard banding in risk assessments for the classification of hazards arising from occupational handling of hazardous substances. Hazard bands can be assigned using the hazard communication elements from the label or the safety data sheet (SDS) of chemical products. The Globally Harmonised System (GHS) has resulted in a change in the hazard communication elements, i.e. hazard (H) statements instead of risk-phrases. In addition to the new H statements, GHS leads also to changes in the dilution rules for the classification of mixtures. Due to this fact hazard banding schemes that depend on the old form of safety information have to be adapted to the new legislation. The simple translation from R-phrases to H statements is problematic and not always possible. Therefore general rules for the assignment of hazards to hazard bands are proposed. As basis for the assignment of hazard bands, the H statements and the dilution rules from GHS are used. All H statements were assigned to six hazard bands with respect to the severity of the underlying hazard. These hazard bands range from n.a. = "not applicable" for e. g. highly self-diluted products or non-health related statements through A = "low hazard", B = "moderate hazard", C = "high hazard" and D = "very high hazard" to E = "extremely high hazard". To support the important principle of substitution, the last one is reserved for proven carcinogens or mutagens, while all less severe hazards are assigned at worst to hazard band D. Hazard bands are assigned specifically to the route of exposure concerned in the respective H statement. This enables the user to adjust risk management measures to the specific uptake route. The rules for assigning hazard bands with respect to the severity of the hazard to , encourage substitution and the exposure route are in line with the requirements for qualitative risk characterisation described e.g. in the REACH guidance. The SDS of the products as source of the required hazard information and the GHS regulation as basis for the assignment of hazard bands ensures that the new hazard banding is in conformity with the new legislation on classification and labelling of chemicals. This presentation will demonstrate that the implementation of this GHS hazard banding in various control banding tools can result in a unified classification of health hazards from the handling of hazardous substances.