Japan Industrial Safety and Health Law (ISHL)
Little Pro on 2015-12-31
Industrial Safety and Health Law (ISHL) was firstly enacted in 1972 to ensure the safety and health of workers in workplaces. IHSL designates substances that are prohibited to manufacture or import, substances requiring permission and chemical substances requiring safety data sheets and labels. ISHL also controls new substances and requires manufacturers and importers to notify them to the Ministry of Labor and Welfare (MHLW) prior to production and importation.
Regulated Chemical Substances under ISHL
The table below summarizes how different categories of chemicals are regulated under ISHL in Japan.
| Category | # of Substances and Requirement |
|---|---|
| New Substances |
|
| Harmful substances to be prohibited |
|
| Harmful substances to be permitted |
|
| Harmful substances to be indicated |
|
| Notifiable substances to be delivered SDSs |
|
New Substance Notification under ISHL
Any substance that is not on ISHL list requires notification prior to manufacture or importation. ISHL list consists of two parts:
- Existing chemical substances under CSCL(in commerce in Japan before 1973)- approximately 20,600 substances;
- New substances notified under ISHL and published on government Gazette;
ISHL is available for search via the following link:
Note: Chemical Substance Control Law(CSCL) has its own definition of new substances and its own existing substance inventory ENCS. You should also check ENCS for your substance.
Read more about new substance notification in Japan.
ISHL and GHS
ISHL is one of the main laws for implementing GHS in Japan. The Article 57-2 of ISHL states that businesses are required to provide SDSs to their clients when transferring or providing any of the notifiable chemical substances(about 644) specified by ISHL. Even for hazardous chemicals not specified by ISHL, suppliers shall make reasonable efforts to comply with GHS requirements in Japan.
Reference & Resources
Click here to access all references and resources for Japan including the English translation of regulations, regulatory lists and useful links to the websites of competent authorities.
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