Malaysia Intends to Implement the UN GHS Rev.8

The Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) of Malaysia is collecting public comments on the revision to the Occupation Safety and Health Act, making it aligns with the eighth edition of the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS).

On June 13, the proposed updates announced by the DOSH would apply to the Occupational Safety and Health (Classification, Labelling and Safety Data Sheet) Act 2013. Major amendments are as following:

• New physical hazards categories such as flammable gases (chemically unstable gases), aerosols, chemicals under pressure, and desensitized explosives are introduced;
• The tiered approach for skin corrosion/irritation and severe eye damage/eye irritation are introduced;
• The revised SDS shall be sent to the chemical recipient as soon as possible or within six months after updating;
• The cut off value/ concentration limit for aspiration hazard is modified to 1% or higher because these substances may have the potential of causing suffocation, injury, or adverse effects on health.

The draft also specifies provisions on the label size and instructions to affix the label to the chemical package.

Background

Malaysia DOSH published the Classification, Labelling and Safety Data Sheet of Hazardous Chemicals Regulation 2013 (CLASS 2013) on October 11, 2013 which entered into force in April 2015. Based on the UN GHS Rev.3, the CLASS 2013 requires that manufacturers, importers, and distributors classify, label and package chemicals and prepare the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) and labels in accordance with the Industry Code of Practice (ICOP). As UN GHS has been updated for several times since then, the existing GHS in Malaysia cannot be brought in line with international practice.

CIRS Suggestions

After the new regulation enters into force, enterprises exporting chemicals to Malaysia may need to update SDSs and labels in a timely manner to comply with the UN GHS Rev.8.

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