March 9 Canada and US: Working together on GHS alignment

From:  Chemical Watch

The US and Canada are working together in an effort to ensure consistent implementation of the Globally Harmonised System (GHS) of classification and labelling of chemicals. Speaking at GlobalChem Maureen Ruskin, director of the Office of Chemical Hazards at the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA), said that the US and Canada had formed a Regulatory Coordination Council and GHS implementation had been included in the current work plan. “The US and Canada will be working together to ensure what we do on GHS is aligned,” she stated.

While Canada is expected to be at least a year behind GHS implementation compared to the US, Ms Ruskin said that once it was implemented in both countries, the Council would work to ensure alignment, particularly on technical issues and the interpretation of data to ensure companies in the US and Canada classified chemicals in the same way.

Click on the link above for more information, including four actions the Council has agreed upon to coordinate GHS implementation in the two countries.