WASHINGTON—The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has granted the petition of the Adhesive and Sealant Council and eight other associations for enforcement relief from the June 1, 2015, deadline for compliance with the Global Harmonization Standard for chemicals.
The OSHA action means adhesive and sealant manufacturers and other chemical fabricators will not face penalties for not having revised Safety Data Sheets and safety labels as required under the GHS, as long as they can demonstrate due diligence and a good faith effort to obtain the information they need for compliance.
Chemical suppliers are in a different situation in complying with the GHS from chemical fabricators, according to Mark Collatz, ASC director of regulatory affairs.
“Suppliers work at their own pace,” Collatz said. “The situation is different for our members when they try to get all the information they need.”
OSHA and officials of the involved associations will meet over the next few months, according to Collatz. He said he expected the meetings to result in OSHA developing a formal policy compliance directive.
Besides the ASC, the signatory associations of the Aug. 11 petition included the American Coatings Association, the American Composites Manufacturers Association, CropLife America, ISSA—the Worldwide Cleaning Industry Association, the National Association of Chemical Distributors, the National Association of Manufacturers, Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment and the Society of Chemical Manufacturers and Affiliates.