Physical hazards pictograms
| Pictogram | Usage | |
|---|---|---|
 |
| |
| GHS01: Explosive | ||
 |
| |
| GHS02: Flammable | ||
 |
| |
| GHS03: Oxidizing | ||
 | ||
| GHS04: Compressed Gas | ||
 |
| |
| GHS05: Corrosive | ||
| ||
| no pictogram required | ||
Hazard pictograms form part of the international Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). Two sets of pictograms are included within the GHS: one for the labelling of containers and for workplace hazard warnings, and a second for use during the transport of dangerous goods. Either one or the other is chosen, depending on the target audience, but the two are not used together. [1] The two sets of pictograms use the same symbols for the same hazards, although certain symbols are not required for transport pictograms. Transport pictograms come in wider variety of colors and may contain additional information such as a subcategory number.
Hazard pictograms are one of the key elements for the labelling of containers under the GHS, along with: [2]
The GHS chemical hazard pictograms are intended to provide the basis for or to replace national systems of hazard pictograms. It has still to be implemented by the European Union (CLP regulation) in 2009.
The GHS transport pictograms are the same as those recommended in the UN Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods, widely implemented in national regulations such as the U.S. Federal Hazardous Materials Transportation Act (49 U.S.C. 5101–5128) and D.O.T. regulations at 49 C.F.R. 100–185.
| Pictogram | Usage | |
|---|---|---|
| |
| |
| GHS01: Explosive | ||
| |
| |
| GHS02: Flammable | ||
| |
| |
| GHS03: Oxidizing | ||
| | ||
| GHS04: Compressed Gas | ||
| |
| |
| GHS05: Corrosive | ||
| ||
| no pictogram required | ||
| Pictogram | Usage | |
|---|---|---|
 |
| |
| GHS06: Toxic | ||
 |
Not used [3]
| |
| GHS07: Harmful | ||
 |
| |
| GHS08: Health hazard | ||
| ||
| no pictogram required | ||
| Pictogram | Usage | |
|---|---|---|
| |
| |
| GHS05: Corrosive | ||
| Pictogram | Usage | |
|---|---|---|
 |
| |
| GHS09: Environmental hazard | ||
| ||
| no pictogram required | ||
| Pictogram | Usage | |
|---|---|---|
 |
Note: The asterisks are replaced by the class number and compatibility code | |
| Divisions 1.1–1.3 | ||
 | Explosives – Substances and articles which are classified as explosives but which present no significant hazard Note: The asterisk is replaced by the compatibility code | |
| Division 1.4 | ||
 | Explosives – Very insensitive substances which have a mass explosion hazard Note: The asterisk is replaced by the compatibility code | |
| Division 1.5 | ||
 | Explosives – No hazard statement Note: The asterisk is replaced by the compatibility code | |
| Division 1.6 | ||
| Pictogram | Usage | |
|---|---|---|
 | Flammable gases – Gases which at 20 °C and a standard pressure of 101.3 kPa:
| |
| Division 2.1 | ||
 | Non-flammable non-toxic gases – Gases which:
| |
| Division 2.2 | ||
 | Toxic gases – Gases which:
e.g. hydrogen cyanide | |
| Division 2.3 | ||
| Pictogram | Usage | |
|---|---|---|
 | Flammable liquids – Liquids which have a flash point of less than 60 °C and which are capable of sustaining combustion | |
| Class 3 | ||
 | ||
Flammable solids, self-reactive substances and solid desensitized explosives – Solids which, under conditions encountered in transport, are readily combustible or may cause or contribute to fire through friction; self-reactive substances which are liable to undergo a strongly exothermic reaction; solid desensitized explosives which may explode if not diluted sufficiently | ||
| Division 4.1 | ||
 | Substances liable to spontaneous combustion – Substances which are liable to spontaneous heating under normal conditions encountered in transport, or to heating up in contact with air, and being then liable to catch fire e.g. manganese heptoxide | |
| Division 4.2 | ||
 | Substances which in contact with water emit flammable gases – Substances which, by interaction with water, are liable to become spontaneously flammable or to give off flammable gases in dangerous quantities | |
| Division 4.3 | ||
| Pictogram | Usage | |
|---|---|---|
 | Oxidizing substances – Substances which, while in themselves not necessarily combustible, may, generally by yielding oxygen, cause, or contribute to, the combustion of other material | |
| Division 5.1 | ||
 | Organic peroxides – Organic substances which contain the bivalent –O–O– structure and may be considered derivatives of hydrogen peroxide, where one or both of the hydrogen atoms have been replaced by organic radicals | |
| Division 5.2 | ||
 | Toxic substances – Substances with an LD50 value ≤ 300 mg/kg (oral) or ≤ 1000 mg/kg (dermal) or an LC50 value ≤ 4000 ml/m3 (inhalation of dusts or mists) e.g. nearly everything that contains cyanide groups | |
| Division 6.1 | ||
 | Corrosive substances – Substances which:
| |
| Class 8 | ||
The following pictograms are included in the UN Model Regulations but have not been incorporated into the GHS because of the nature of the hazards.
 |  |  |  |  |  |
| Class 6.2 | Class 7 | Class 9 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infectious substances | Radioactive material | Miscellaneous dangerous substances and articles | |||
A UN number is a four-digit number that identifies hazardous materials, and articles in the framework of international trade and transport. Some hazardous substances have their own UN numbers, while sometimes groups of chemicals or products with similar properties receive a common UN number. A chemical in its solid state may receive a different UN number than the liquid phase if its hazardous properties differ significantly; substances with different levels of purity may also receive different UN numbers.
A safety data sheet (SDS), material safety data sheet (MSDS), or product safety data sheet (PSDS) is a document that lists information relating to occupational safety and health for the use of various substances and products. SDSs are a widely used system for cataloguing information on chemicals, chemical compounds,chemical mixtures. SDS information may include instructions for the safe use and potential hazards associated with a particular material or product, along with spill-handling procedures. The older MSDS formats could vary from source to source within a country depending on national requirements; however, the newer SDS format is internationally standardized.
Hazard symbols or warning symbols are recognisable symbols designed to warn about hazardous or dangerous materials, locations, or objects, including electromagnetic fields, electric currents; harsh, toxic or unstable chemicals ; and radioactivity. The use of hazard symbols is often regulated by law and directed by standards organizations. Hazard symbols may appear with different colors, backgrounds, borders, and supplemental information in order to specify the type of hazard and the level of threat. Warning symbols are used in many places in lieu of or addition to written warnings as they are quickly recognized and more commonly understood.
Dangerous goods, abbreviated DG, are substances that when transported are a risk to health, safety, property or the environment. Certain dangerous goods that pose risks even when not being transported are known as hazardous materials. An example for dangerous goods is hazardous waste which is waste that has substantial or potential threats to public health or the environment.
Risk and Safety Statements, also known as R/S statements, R/S numbers, R/S phrases, and R/S sentences, is a system of hazard codes and phrases for labeling dangerous chemicals and compounds. The R/S statement of a compound consists of a risk part (R) and a safety part (S), each followed by a combination of numbers. Each number corresponds to a phrase. The phrase corresponding to the letter/number combination has the same meaning in different languages—see 'languages' in the menu on the left.
The Dangerous Substances Directive was one of the main European Union laws concerning chemical safety, until its full replacement by the new regulation CLP Regulation (2008), starting in 2016. It was made under Article 100 of the Treaty of Rome. By agreement, it is also applicable in the EEA, and compliance with the directive will ensure compliance with the relevant Swiss laws. The Directive ceased to be in force on 31 May 2015 and was repealed by Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2008 on classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures, amending and repealing Directives 67/548/EEC and 1999/45/EC, and amending Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006.
The Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System is Canada's national workplace hazard communication standard. The key elements of the system, which came into effect on October 31, 1988, are cautionary labelling of containers of WHMIS controlled products, the provision of material safety data sheets (MSDSs) and worker education and site-specific training programs.
ADR, formally the Agreement of 30 September 1957 concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road is a 1957 United Nations treaty that governs transnational transport of hazardous materials. "ADR" is derived from the French name for the treaty: Accord relatif au transport international des marchandises Dangereuses par Route). Until 31 December 2020, the treaty was fully named European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road. However, as the word "European" might have given the impression that the treaty was only open for accession to European states, an amendment was decided in the end of 2019.
International Chemical Safety Cards (ICSC) are data sheets intended to provide essential safety and health information on chemicals in a clear and concise way. The primary aim of the Cards is to promote the safe use of chemicals in the workplace and the main target users are therefore workers and those responsible for occupational safety and health. The ICSC project is a joint venture between the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) with the cooperation of the European Commission (EC). This project began during the 1980s with the objective of developing a product to disseminate the appropriate hazard information on chemicals at the workplace in an understandable and precise way.
The Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) is an internationally agreed-upon standard managed by the United Nations that was set up to replace the assortment of hazardous material classification and labelling schemes previously used around the world. Core elements of the GHS include standardized hazard testing criteria, universal warning pictograms, and safety data sheets which provide users of dangerous goods relevant information with consistent organization. The system acts as a complement to the UN numbered system of regulated hazardous material transport. Implementation is managed through the UN Secretariat. Although adoption has taken time, as of 2017, the system has been enacted to significant extents in most major countries of the world. This includes the European Union, which has implemented the United Nations' GHS into EU law as the CLP Regulation, and United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards.
The CLP Regulation is a European Union regulation from 2008, which aligns the European Union system of classification, labelling and packaging of chemical substances and mixtures to the Globally Harmonised System (GHS). It is expected to facilitate global trade and the harmonised communication of hazard information of chemicals and to promote regulatory efficiency. It complements the 2006 Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) Regulation and replaces an older system contained in the Dangerous Substances Directive (67/548/EEC) and the Dangerous Preparations Directive (1999/45/EC).
The regulation of chemicals is the legislative intent of a variety of national laws or international initiatives such as agreements, strategies or conventions. These international initiatives define the policy of further regulations to be implemented locally as well as exposure or emission limits. Often, regulatory agencies oversee the enforcement of these laws.
Hazard statements form part of the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). They are intended to form a set of standardized phrases about the hazards of chemical substances and mixtures that can be translated into different languages. As such, they serve the same purpose as the well-known R-phrases, which they are intended to replace.
Precautionary statements form part of the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). They are intended to form a set of standardized phrases giving advice about the correct handling of chemical substances and mixtures, which can be translated into different languages. As such, they serve the same purpose as the well-known S-phrases, which they are intended to replace.
Musk xylene is a synthetic musk fragrance which mimics natural musk. It has been used as a perfume fixative in a wide variety of consumer products, and is still used in some cosmetics and fragrances.
The UN Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods are contained in the UN Model Regulations prepared by the Subcommittee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). They cover the transport of dangerous goods by all modes of transport except by bulk tanker. They are not obligatory or legally binding on individual countries, but have gained a wide degree of international acceptance: they form the basis of several international agreements and many national laws.
European hazard symbols for chemicals are pictograms defined by the European Union for labelling chemical packaging and containers. They are standardised currently by the CLP/GHS classification.
The Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) requires employers to disclose toxic and hazardous substances in workplaces. This is related to the Worker Protection Standard.
