Hazardous chemicals - the impact of new Work Health and Safety (WHS) regulations

摘要

Adverse effects on people or the environment can occur through chemicals. Countries and organisations developed regulations so that information regarding the chemicals could be transmitted to chemical users through labels or Safety Data Sheets (SDS). However, differences between these regulations meant that the same chemical product could have different labels or SDS in different countries. Due to the extensive global trade in chemicals, and the need to develop national systems to ensure the safe use, transport and disposal of hazardous chemicals, it was recognized that an internationally harmonized approach to classification and labelling would provide the foundation for such systems.