…And why should it matter? There is a new regulation that dictates wording on hazard signs, and there are circumstances where a ‘warning’ must be replaced by a ‘danger’. What is this all about?
Brady’s Liz Gallagher replies: You are referring to the CLP (Classification, labelling and packaging) legislation officially known as 1272/2008, which specifically deals with the identification of chemicals (ie. single substances such as acetone) and mixtures (ie. paint or ink). Regular readers of this column will already, I hope, be familiar with the principle of the new rules. New pictograms and wordings are already becoming familiar in all commercial and industrial environments including transportation where hazardous substances are involved.
Effective hazard communication is one of the most important building blocks to accident prevention…Information enhances protection, and that information needs to be durable, clear and compliant – even years from now
As well as pictorial representation, there is also a requirement for new ‘signal words’, a method of instant appraisal as to the level of risk. These are ‘warning’ and ‘danger’. If the chemical has a more severe hazard, the label includes the signal word ‘Danger’; in case of less severe hazards, the signal word is ‘Warning’. If you are involved in the supply of pure chemicals, you are no doubt aware that the final deadline for supply of any existing stock is December 12th of this year. At Brady we’ve been working hard to make the transition and compliance with this vital new legislation as stress-free as possible for our customers, and ensure that any ATP (adaptation to technical progress) is encompassed in our range.
Do I need to put the new GHS/CLP information on my pipemarkers?
If your pipes are carrying a hazardous liquid or gas then yes. Effective hazard communication is one of the most important building blocks to accident prevention. Not being fully aware of what substance is contained in a pipe can lead to major accidents and sadly has done so in the past both in terms of maintenance and also in case of accidents, where containment has been hampered when the emergency services struggle to identify what pipes are carrying. Information enhances protection, and that information needs to be durable, clear and compliant – even years from now when maybe your facility changes hands or function. A useful resource is www.bradyeurope.com/clp – it contains helpful information to illustrate exactly how information should be displayed.
Brady
