Little Pro on 2015-12-31
Korea has fully implemented GHS for both substances and mixtures since 1 July 2013. Suppliers of hazardous chemicals should classify their chemicals according to GHS classification criteria, prepare safety data sheets(SDS) and label the containers or packages of hazardous chemicals according to relevant national standards.
There are three main ministries involved in GHS enforcement. Attached table summarizes the main laws, authorities, and deadlines for GHS implementation in Korea.
Law | Authority, Grace Period and Requirement |
---|---|
Chemical Control Act (Article 16)) |
|
Occupational Health and Safety Act (Article 41) |
|
Hazardous Materials Act |
|
Substance |
|
Mixture |
|
The most important and also the latest GHS standard in Korea is MoEL's Public Notice No. 2016-19 - The Standard for Classification Labeling of Chemical Substance and Material Safety Data Sheet. It stipulates chemical classification criteria, the content of SDSs/labelling, and phrases for various hazard and precautionary statements in Korean. The standard is based on UN GHS Rev. 4.
Both MoE and MoEL have set labelling requirements for hazardous chemicals. In general, MoEL's standard applies.
The picture below is an example of Korean GHS label.
The standard has also set the minimum size requirement of a label and pictogram for different sizes of containers.
For toxic chemicals, MoE's additional requirements apply:
To access Korean compulsory GHS classification list for toxic chemicals, please click here. If you would like to download GHS classification list in other countries, please click here.
Korea has also adopted standard 16-section SDSs.There are a few things you need to be aware of when you prepare Korean SDSs.
Korean Occupational Health and Safety Agency(OSHA) have prepared many standard Korean GHS SDSs for pure substances and they are available here.
Click here to obtain all chemical regulatory references and resources for Korea.
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Tags: Topics - Korea, GHS Implementation