Little Pro on 2018-06-07
GHS precautionary statements are standard phrases that describe measures to minimize or prevent adverse effects of chemicals. They are usually required to label chemical packages or containers along with other elements of GHS labels such as product identifier, pictogram, signal word and hazard statements. In this article, we will show you how to correctly use precautionary statements on chemical labels.
P-codes (i.e, P301, P501) are not required for precautionary statements on GHS labels. Please feel free to exclude them to save some space for labels. Most of countries allow P-codes to be omitted for GHS labels(one exception is Mexico).
Due to the limited size of a label, some jurisdictions have limited the number of precautionary statements on the label to make it more readable. On the other hand, some countries require disclosure of all precautionary statements. For example, EU and Malyasia require that no more than 6 precautionary statements shall appear on the label unless they are necessary. Although US does not have such a rule, they allow suppliers to exclude uncessary precautionary statements.
Many jurisdictions (EU, China, Korea) allow some GHS label elements (i.e. precautionary statements) to be omitted from a label for small containers. Please note that the definition of small container varies.
For jurisdictions that do have GHS label rules for small containers, you may try one of the following approaches to omit certain precautionary statements. At least it works for US OSHA.
Some jurisdictions (i.e, US OSHA) also allow precautionary statements to be combined or consolidated to save label space. For example, “Keep away from heat, sparks and open flame,” “Store in a well-ventilated place” and “Keep cool” can be combined to read “Keep away from heat, sparks and open flame and store in a cool, well-ventilated place.
It is very common to see incomplete precautionary statements containing backslashes(/) or 3 full stop sign (. ) in SDSs and on labels. However, not all jurisdictions allow that. It is recommended that you select the most appropriate and complete statements for your SDSs and labels.
Canda's WHIMS 2015 rules specifically mentioned that:
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