Betco Corporation announced the company is in the process of modifying their Material Safety Data Sheets Sheets (MSDS), training materials and labels to comply with the Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) that adopted the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) to improve safety and health of workers throughout the world with more effective communications on chemical hazards. 

GHS is an international approach to hazard communication, providing agreed criteria for classification of chemical hazards, and a standardized approach to label elements and safety data sheets. This system provides harmonized classification criteria for health, physical, and environmental hazards of chemicals. It also includes standardized label elements that are assigned to these hazard classes and categories, and provide the appropriate signal words, pictograms, and hazard and precautionary statements to convey the hazards to users.

The MSDS is now known as the Safety Data Sheet, or SDS. A standardized 16 section safety data sheet format is also required.

Chemical producers, manufacturers and importers need to review the hazard information for all their chemicals produced or imported, classify them using the new criteria and update their labels and SDSs accordingly for distribution. Employers will need to use these new labels and SDS sheets and provide updated training for all employees.

In addition to Betco’s GHS page located on Betco.com, Betco will also be conducting Distributor and end user web casts shortly to explain the requirements for employers concerning the updated Hazardous Communication System (HCS) with the newly adopted GHS criteria.