In a recent meeting with OSHA representative, Dr. David Michaels, Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health, denied the industry’s petition to extend the June 1, 2015 deadline for GHS compliant SDSs and labels, much to the frustration and surprise of industry representatives in attendance.
According to ISSA, an industry coalition of several prominent trade associations petitioned OSHA in mid-August 2014 to grant a two year extension of the June 1, 2015 deadline for GHS compliant labels and SDSs for manufacturers and distributors of formulated chemical products such as general purpose cleaners or bathroom cleaners. The industry coalition requested the extension of the deadline to allow formulators sufficient time to gather and review information from raw material suppliers, which in turn is critical to developing accurate and compliant GHS SDSs and labels.
However, OSHA’s denial of industry’s petition means that formulated products (such as cleaning products) must be compliant with the GHS labeling and SDS requirements by the original deadline of June 1, 2015.