United Nations Labeling System

The first element of this proposal to be adopted was revised labeling requirements, patterned after the United Nations Labeling System. Although the Board had proposed adoption of the UN system as early as 1968, the subsequent inclusion of the proposed labeling system as part of the Hazardous Information System proposal delayed its implementation until 1973, when the Board, in reaction to the mandated use of the UN labels by many foreign countries in early 1973, was compelled to adopt this aspect of the information system independent of the remaining proposals. 

The United Nations Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) includes an internationally standardized guidance procedure on Transformation/Dissolution Protocol (T/DP) for metals and sparingly soluble metal compounds (United Nations, 2007), recently validated by the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development). To establish the acute aquatic hazard classification level of a metal-bearing substance under the GHS, data from the T/DP are compared with an acute ecotoxicity reference value (ERV) derived under conditions similar to those of the T/DP. 

United Nations. 2007. Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals, ST/SG/AC. 10/30/Rev.2. 

UN (2011) Globally harmonized system of classification and labelling of chemicals (GHS), 4th edn. United Nations, New York, elSBN 978-92-1-054745-1... 

United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. 2004. Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). http //www.unece.org/trans/dan-ger/publi/ghs/ghs welcome e.html (accessed January 8, 2008). 

The analyses are performed using the criteria in the European classification and labelling directive (67/548). These criteria will be replaced by a new directive that is based on the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) for classification and labelling developed by the United Nations (Reg. 1272/2008). The new rules will be implemented stepwise from June 2010 to June 2015. 

In addition to the written statements, several of the existing hazard communication systems use symbols to convey hazards. The United States (US) allows the use of symbols in the workplace, but does not require them. The placement and design of the symbols varies among systems. The European Union (EU) system places symbols in a square. The Canadian system requires the symbols to have a circle around them. And the United Nations (UN) transport system requires the symbols be placed in a diamond. These differences result in different labels even when the symbol itself is the same. 

United Nations (UN) (2011) Globally harmonized system of classification and labelling of chemicals (GHS), 4th revised ed. UN New York and Geneva. Available at http //www. unece. org/ trans / danger / publi / ghs / ghs rev04/04files e.html. Accessed 12 April 2013... 

Work on the globally harmonized system of classification and labelling of chemicals is being led by the International Labour Organization together with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research. 

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