On Feb. 9, 2015, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published the Enforcement Guidance for the Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) effective June 1, 2015. The Guidance offers important insights into OSHA’s HCS enforcement strategy with regard to mixtures, and is therefore a must-read for stakeholders if they wish to be in the best possible position to avoid enforcement consequences for non-compliance with the HCS.

On August 9, 2014, Canada published a proposal for adopting the Globally Harmonized System for Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS). GHS compliance is a big issue for just about all manufacturers, and understanding the approach of our neighbor to the north is important. This column summarizes the highlights.

Most GHS adoptions will complete implementation by 2015, mandating that all mixtures must be classified according to the particular legislation of that jurisdiction. Although some variation will remain between labelling information and hazard category adoption, this greatly simplifies the process of classification and labelling for retail and consumer products. This level of harmonisation, together with the standardisation of transport labels, offers the promise of greatly simplifying and reducing the cost of label creation.