Guest Column: A glimpse at US Osha’s updated hazard communication standard

摘要

Lynn L Bergeson, managing partner of Bergeson & Campbell law firm, and Karin F Baron, senior regulatory consultant, examine Osha’s plans for the regulatory rule-making process to update the HCS to GHS Rev 7. The Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) is, by its very nature, perennially a work in progress. The US is committed to global harmonisation in classifying chemical hazards, and the US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Osha) 2012 incorporation of the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) of classification and labelling of chemicals into the Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) was a big step forward in achieving global harmonisation. The road is long, however, and the administration recognises much work remains to be done. This article reports on Osha's efforts to continue the harmonisation process.