Effective June 1, all hazardous chemicals crossing international waters must meet the new Globally Harmonized Systems (GHS) safety standards. According to OSHA, this new regulation will increase the safety for anyone working with hazardous materials. Distributors and end users have until December 1, 2015, to become compliant.

In order to navigate these murky waters, MACtac, a manufacturer of pressure sensitive adhesive products, has developed a survival guide to educate customers on the changes.

The System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals has changed chemical drum label mandates to meet these specifications. The guide covers important information regarding GHS and all necessary elements that must be on a label.

“It is not a law but rather a system for designing labels with easily understandable symbols and formats to all countries,” says Kim Hensley, marketing manager at MACtac. “Its goal is to increase safety for any person who works with or who might come in contact with a hazardous chemical.”

MACtac includes a step-by-step process of how to plan, design and print a label to meet the new standards. A label’s standard elements include product identifiers, signal words, hazard statements, black/red pictograms that define health, physical and environmental hazards of the chemical, and supplier identification. The labels also feature precautionary statements.

“There are six key elements the new GHS label must include to minimize noncompliance risks,” says Allie Braham, marketing manager at MACtac. “The exact placement or location of the elements on the label is not specified.”

Product identifiers include the chemical name, product name or other unique identifier, while signal words indicate “danger” and “warning.” Hazard statements define the nature and degree of the material, such as flammable liquid and vapor. Phrases like “may cause eye irritation,” “toxic in contact with skin,” and “may cause drowsiness” are also used. Precautionary statements detail the amount of risk associated with each hazard.

OSHA believes the safety precautions will prevent more than 40 fatalities and more than 500 injuries in one year. According to the GHS, all drums containing hazardous chemicals must meet British Standard (BS) 5609 when shipped by sea. MACtac states that BS 5609 is required for self-adhesive drum labels that need Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) certification.

“The survival guide provides a table of contents, making it easy for the user to jump ahead to specific information,” says Braham. “From GHS label guidelines and BS 5609 certification, to available software programs and pre-approved label options, MACtac has organized all the information in an easy-to-follow, step-by-step guide. Also, the survival guide is designed with call-outs to help the reader find the most important details at a glance.” 

MACtac includes three steps necessary to meeting these qualifications:

Step 1: Planning Your Label
Users must understand their chemical container of choice and its associated dangers. Those answers will help determine the ideal labelstocks, inks, ribbons and print systems. Analyzing the surface texture, range of temperatures (including humidity) and expected life of the container are all pertinent questions in the planning phase.

Step 2: Designing Your Label
The first question typically involves the label’s size. Labels can range up to 8.5”, although small container labeling provides more challenges. The survival guide includes various container sizes and the minimum label sizes required for each. If a label requires more pictograms and explanations, it will tend to be larger.

Available software programs that can help format GHS-compliant labels include Seagull Scientific, NiceLabel and TEKLYNX. The programs come equipped with sample templates and built-in GHS entities. Business rules and chemical transport icons can also be used in label applications.

MACtac reminds users that pictograms must be at least 1/15th of the label’s size.

Step 3: Printing Your Label
According to MACtac, there are three primary methods for printing GHS labels. Many companies will use a one-color or monochrome thermal transfer to meet these requirements. For more complex labels, printers may sometimes use a two-color thermal transfer printer. The latter is more commonly used with high-volume applications.

Pigmented inkjets and color lasers (toner fusion printing) are also viable options for GHS-compliant labels.

“MACtac has been working ahead of the labeling mandate to make it easy for companies to be compliant,” explains Hensley. “Through joint efforts with prominent industry partners, MACtac offers pre-approved combinations of labelstock, adhesives, inks, ribbons and printers tested and certified to the BS 5609.”

According to Braham, MACtac has also recently launched a microsite dedicated to GHS hazardous label compliance. The company offers downloadable resources, including: a GHS-compliant products sell sheet, BS 5609 certificates for MACtac products, BS 5609 testing guide and free GHS-compliance product samples.

The United Nations adopted GHS in 2003, and the United States followed suit in 2012. Also in 2012, OSHA revised the Hazard Communication Standard to align with GHS.

“From resin ribbons to thermal printer packages to pre-approved labels using pigmented inks or digital label toners, MACtac can assist with any and all label needs,” concludes Braham.