ChemSafety Blog: September 2013

Sunday, September 22, 2013

GHS in Thailand

On 1 February 2012, the Ministry of Industry in Thailand issued the Notification on the Hazard Classification and Communication System for Hazardous Substances (B.E. 2555) (GHS Notification), subsequently published on 12 March 2012 in the Government Gazette. The notification, issued pursuant to Thailand's Hazardous Substances Act, is based on the third revised edition (2009) of UN GHS. Besides, FDA is in the process of GHS implementation over Household and Public Health Use while Department of Agriculture (DOA) is in the process of GHS implementation over agricultural chemicals.

Transition period

Effective date	Requirements
12 March 2013	Substances Re-classify, labeling and SDS should be updated by manufacturers and importers
12 March 2017	Mixtures Re-classify, labeling and SDS should be updated by manufacturers and importers
	Exception: chemical wastes and chemical substances used electronic devices

Labeling

The basic elements on labels required in Thailand (B.E.2555 Annex, Table 1) are to be consistent with UN GHS (4th revised).

Language on labels:Thai.

SDS

Under the GHS Notification, manufacturers and importers are obligated to provide safety data sheets (SDS) for all hazardous substances. The required format and contents are set out in Table 2 of the Annex, including standard 16-section headings and sub-headings, in accordance with Annex 4 of the 4th revised UN GHS.

For information on ingredients, regulations on confidential business information (CBI) established by governmental agencies shall take priority.

Related GHS Info & Resources

GHS Implementation in Taiwan

GHS has been implemented for selected chemicals in Taiwan since 2008. Full GHS implementation is scheduled in 2016 for all hazardous chemicals with physical and health hazards in workplace. Both TCSCA and OSHA require chemical suppliers to label the packages and containers of toxic chemicals or hazardous chemicals and provide safety data sheets prepared in accordance with relevant GHS regulations and standards in Taiwan.

CNS 15030 Classification and Labelling of Chemicals

CNS 15030 Classification and Labelling of Chemicals is the main national standard for chemical classification and labelling in Taiwan. All other GHS-related regulations have referred to this standard. The standard was firstly issued by the Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection (BSMI) of the Ministry of Economic Affairs based on GHS Purple Book Rev 1 and was amended in 2009 in accordance with UN GHS Rev. 2. Right now, BSMI is revising this standard based on UN GHS Rev. 4.

Taiwan has adopted all building blocks of UN GHS. Companies can directly refer to the English version of the GHS purple book to classify their chemicals. The English version of this standard can be purchased here. Please search "15030".

Regulation of Labelling and Hazard Communication of Hazardous Chemicals

This is the most important regulation for implementing GHS in Taiwan. It was amended in 2014 by MoL and comes into force on 3 July 2014. The revised regulation requires manufacturers, importers or suppliers to provide labelling and SDSs for all hazardous chemicals with physical and health hazards from 1 Jan 2016.

GHS in workplace is implemented in 4 phases in Taiwan. MoL(previously the Council of Labor) has published 3 lists of hazardous chemicals subject to mandatory GHS compliance.

First Phase: 1062 chemicals;
Second Phase: 1089 chemicals;
Third Phase: 1020 chemicals;
Last Phase: All hazardous chemicals with physical and health hazards(from 1 Jan 2016).

All 3 lists of chemicals subject to mandatory GHS compliance can be downloaded here.

Labelling and SDS Requirements under MoL's Regulations

Standard GHS format & content: Yes;
Language: Traditional Chinese;
Substance name: Both Chinese and English names are required;
GHS labeling of small package(<=100ml): Product identifier, pictogram and signal word;
SDS review: every 3 years.
Out of scope: Consumer products, etc.

Related GHS Info & Resources