More than two years after the Globally Harmonized System for Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS) Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) to revise the existing Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) was introduced, OSHA finalized the new rule and significantly amended the 29 CFR, effective May 26, 2012. The revised OSHA HCS (hereafter referred to as HazCom 2012) is based on the 3rd Revised Edition of the Purple Book (the UN’s published guide for GHS) with some content drawn from the 4th Revised Edition.
The U.S. was not an early adopter. New Zealand led the way in 2001, and was quickly followed by a wave of Asia-Pacific nations. The EU adopted its version in 2009. A number of factors extend the timeline for complete global harmonization: