11 Feb 2009

GHS Compliance & Supply Chain Management

Intertek (www.intertek.com/green), a global leader in regulatory support, product conversion, product assessments, and testing, is now providing businesses with support and solutions required to implement the directives of the Globally Harmonized Systems of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS).

A number of countries are now working on harmonizing existing regulations to meet the GHS guidelines. For example, the European Commission adopted a new regulation on classification, labelling, and packaging of substances and mixtures, which is based on GHS criteria. The new CLP Regulation will enter into force on 20 January 2009 and the deadline for substance reclassifications is 30 November 2010 and for mixtures is 31 May 2015. Complying with this new GHS-based Regulation will also be necessary to achieve compliance with REACH.

The purpose of the Global Harmonized System (GHS) initiative is to have the material information for hazardous substances labelled and classified in a uniform manner, so as to make its handling and safety instructions clear and easy to understand. The GHS initiative is designed by taking into account the different labelling requirements on an international, national and regional level to produce one single harmonized classification and labelling system. The premise is that the frequency and consistency of the labelling, handling and classification of the hazardous substances will lend itself to understanding and familiarity worldwide.

Intertek Ageus Solutions (www.ageussolutions.com ), an Intertek company, has assisted hundreds of companies to comply with global materials restrictions and compliance requirements. Intertek Ageus Solutions can assist companies at any stage of their compliance initiatives including testing, reviewing of third party data, and creation of the certificate of compliance for the authorities.

“Intertek takes the complexity out of GHS.” states Bruce Calder, General Manager of Intertek Ageus Solutions, part of Intertek’s Health and Environmental Services group. “We remove the uncertainty around these new requirements and help companies put in place a program that works.”

Intertek Ageus Solutions offers the following services for GHS compliance:

  • Classification of substances to meet the new requirements set out by the newly adopted Globally Harmonized system
  • Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) updates to verify that all requirements are met and that classification of substances have been properly assigned
  • Label formulation for compliance with GHS

Intertek Ageus Solutions, with its vast experience with restricted materials legislation in the US, Canada, Europe, and China, is well positioned to support the classifying and labeling directives of the GHS.

Other legislations supported in parallel to GHS compliance:

    • California Proposition 65 
    • US CONEG Packaging Materials Restrictions 
    • EU Toy Directive 
    • EU Packaging Directive 
    • EU REACH RegulationSubstances of Very High Concern (SVHC)

Talk to the experts in global materials restrictions and compliance. Let Intertek Ageus Solutions help you keep your products on the market in the EU, USA and worldwide. For more information, please contact us at reach@intertek.com or visit www.intertek.com/reach.

Contacts
For further information, please contact:

Joel Pekay
Global Marketing and Business Development Director
Telephone: 630-481-3126
Email: joel.pekay@intertek.com

reach@intertek.com
www.intertek.com/reach



About Intertek Health & Environmental Services (www.intertek.com/green)
Intertek Health & Environmental Services offers the complete solution for global, regional, or local compliance, providing sound traceability systems and strict enforcement of due diligence policies. Intertek does more than simply help our clients comply, we give them the competitive advantage they desire. Our Services offer comprehensive solutions for RoHS, Restricted Substances, CPSIA, REACH, California Proposition 65, Carbon Management, and Greenhouse Gas reduction, including on-call consulting, testing and analysis, legal representation, certification, and corporate education appropriate for all types and levels of business. Intertek Health & Environmental Services is a leader in global environmental compliance, consulting, technology services and product stewardship.

About Intertek (www.intertek.com)
Intertek (ITRK.L) is a leading provider of quality and safety solutions serving a wide range of industries around the world. From auditing and inspection, to testing, quality assurance and certification, Intertek people are dedicated to adding value to customers' products and processes, supporting their success in the global marketplace. Intertek has the expertise, resources and global reach to support its customers through its network of more than 1,000 laboratories and offices and over 23,000 people in 100 countries around the world.