Chemical Industry

GHS (Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals) Chemical labelling Compliance Until 2003, chemical labelling was regulated by national standards, often with advice and comments from relevant industry groups. We find ourselves in an era of globalization, where globally connected supply chains complete the manufacturing, packaging, transportation, sale and use of chemicals and chemical products.

The cost of printing GHS labels varies. The European Union, the United States, Canada and Asian countries have achieved compliance with GHS chemical labeling with different requirements and different revised standards.

While all of these packaging principles are GHS compliant, there are subtle differences in language, size and positioning rules - when a company ships chemicals to these countries, each region requires different packaging to be differentiated. Applying unique GHS labels to package unpredictable quantities of specialty chemicals from one shipment to another without appropriate packaging solutions is a difficult preparation process.

Benefits of labelling chemicals to GHS standards

Strengthen security, connectivity and trade facilitation

When the industry must bear the costs involved in reevaluating and repackaging chemical products, it is important to focus on the benefits of chemical labeling in accordance with GHS standards.

GHS allows for more simplified export of chemical products to foreign markets without country-specific documentation and testing standards, workplace safety standards and environmental standards;

GHS further protects human health and environmental safety through a consistent "International Hazard Communication" system to inform all users of hazards along the entire chemical supply chain. Compliance also minimizes exposure to and risk of hazardous chemicals through safer transport, handling and use practices;

GHS ensures the safe management of chemicals in all participating countries through hazard identification and advocacy, which is particularly useful in countries without a well-established regulatory system;

GHS enhances and simplifies international trade, resulting in better connectivity and economic growth for companies seeking to import and export chemicals in international markets.

Mandatory GHS labeling requirements

Product Identification

The component name or number of a pure chemical substance or chemical mixture. The technology name must be consistent with the technology name listed in the IUPAC, CAS, and MSDS tables. If a chemical is regulated under the United Nations Recommendation on the Transport of Dangerous Goods (UNRTDG), it also needs to be consistent with the official United Nations transport name. Product identifiers are designed to prevent accidental or unwitting contact. Workers, shippers or supply chain partners must be able to identify chemicals and properly understand their potential hazards.

GHS Pictograph

A square pictograph of each red, black and white dot conveys information about the particular hazard risk associated with the chemical. Combined with the warning word "danger" or "warning," the pictograph conveys the severity of the risk and is designed to prevent accidental or unwitting exposure. If applicable, multiple pictograms may be used on the same chemical label. The size of pictograms and other label elements should be proportional to the physical size of the label. Example:

Warning Word

"Danger" or "warning" is used to emphasize the hazard and indicate the relative severity of the hazard, specifying the GHS hazard level and category: "Danger" refers to the more serious hazard category and "warning" refers to the less serious hazard category. Only one warning word corresponding to the most serious hazard category can be used on the label.

Hazard Statement

These phrases describe the nature and extent of harm caused by chemicals. For substances/mixtures with more than one hazard, all hazard statements should be included on the label. Example hazard declaration: "Heating may cause explosion".

Precautionary Statement

Such statements must relate to the GHS pictograms and further describe the measures to be taken to minimize or prevent the occurrence of the hazard. Preventive statements should be "six" considerations at most. Example: A hazard statement associated with the "Explosion hazard" pictograph, such as "Heat may cause explosion," could be "Keep away from heat sources/sparks/open flames/hot surfaces - no smoking."

Supplier Information

Each chemical container, including crates and main packing cases, must contain a GHS label with supplier information, including the name, address and telephone number of the manufacturer or supplier of the product.

Supplementary Information

Additional product information voluntarily provided by the manufacturer, supplier or other responsible party. Manufacturers may make statements that are inconsistent with GHS standards. However, this declaration must not conflict with GHS standards.

Label size requirements

Most countries do not require a minimum label size for GHS labels; However, they agreed that GHS labels should be eye-catching, clear, and easy to read. Within the EU, the appropriate minimum label size is listed based on container capacity, as shown in the figure tabulation:

Container Capacity

GHS labels are printed inside the enterprise

The variety of GHS label formats and size configurations makes it possible to print labels in-house and customize labels for each chemical, and it also attracts the attention of major chemical manufacturers. As part of the company's in-house packaging process, GHS label printing options are available:

Scheme 1: Use a barcode printer to print labels

In this case, barcode label printers are used to print pictograms, warnings, manufacturer addresses, and other text in one color (black). Secondary and additional colors (GHS pictograms red, logos and brands other colors) are pre-printed on the finished label.

The thermal transfer barcode printer uses a black thermal transfer ribbon to print the black portion of the label, including: GHS pictograms, warning words, black portions of hazard warnings, and other text that needs to be printed using a black thermal transfer ribbon.

This solution requires a large inventory of preprinted labels, providing a separate preprinted label roll for each change in the chemical label: different countries, languages, and pictograms have their own preprinted roll.

In the production environment, logistics challenges are presented, and packers need to carefully identify and select the correct pre-printed label roll for each batch of chemical products from the vast array of finished rolls on the warehouse shelves.

Option 2: Use a full-color label printer to print labels

Full color digital label printers print variable GHS labels with maximum flexibility to meet the GHS label printing specifications and meet the various needs of customers and retailers.

Chemical manufacturers have found that full-color label printers offer maximum convenience, flexibility and production performance for printing GHS labels for domestic and international markets, wholesalers and private label retailers.

Four - or five-color printers can meet the requirements of BS5609, GHS, special and custom labels simultaneously. However, in-house full-color digital label printers enable chemical manufacturers to print labels that incorporate all the elements required by the GHS standard, and create graphically rich labels that incorporate the LOGO, enhancing the brand image with the same label printing process.