GHS

WHAT IS GHS? implementation was later provided to 30 September 2023,

with these changes still being phased in. The requirement
for GHS for agricultural remedies specifically, is also
The Globally Harmonized System of Classification
included in the “Regulations relating to agricultural
and Labelling of Chemicals, developed by the United
remedies” promulgated on 25 August 2023 under the
Nations and commonly referred to as the “GHS”, is an
Fertilizer, Farm Feeds, Agricultural Remedies and Stock
internationally harmonized approach to classifying and
Remedies Act (Act 36 of 1947).
labelling of chemicals, and conveys the hazards associated
with a chemical in a standardised way. The need for
GHS arose because of the global trade of chemicals, HOW DOES IT WORK?
which often cross boundaries into areas with different
languages and varying levels of literacy, thereby creating It is very important for farmers, farmworkers and
challenges when communicating safe and responsible anyone handling a chemical to understand how GHS
usage instructions of the products. It is hoped that such works, because the hazards associated with a particular
an approach will contribute to the safe use, transport chemical, their nature and severity, are communicated
and disposal of chemicals, and assist countries in through a number of elements, such as hazard statements,
developing the appropriate infrastructure to control pictograms and signal words on both the label and the
chemical exposures, and ultimately protect people and safety data sheet of the product. It is only when we
the environment. The most noticeable changes brought understand the hazards associated with a chemical that
by GHS is the way in which the chemical is classified and we can effectively mitigate the risks.
how this information is conveyed to the user, resulting
in changes to the labels and safety data sheets (SDS’s) of First, let’s have a look at the classification criteria of these
chemicals. It is important to note that even though the hazards. According to the GHS, the nature of a hazard is
label and SDS of a chemical has changed, the hazards assigned according to a hazard class, of which there are
associated with the product did not change, only the way currently 29. Seventeen (17) of these are physical hazard
in which these hazards are communicated. classes, such as oxidizing liquids, 10 are health hazard
classes such as skin corrosion/irritation, and two are
In South Africa, GHS became a legal requirement for environmental hazard classes, namely hazardous to the
all hazardous chemicals from September 2022 with the aquatic environment or hazardous to the ozone layer. Not
promulgation of “The Regulations for Hazardous Chemical all of these hazard classes will be commonly associated
Agents” No. R280 under the Occupational Health and with agricultural remedies, however.
Safety Act, 1993, on 29 March 2021. An extension for

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Table 1: Hazard classes covered under the GHS

Physical hazards Health hazards Environmental hazards

Explosives Acute toxicity Hazardous to the aquatic
environment
Flammable gases Skin corrosion/irritation Hazardous to the ozone layer
Aerosols and chemicals under Serious eye damage/eye irritation
pressure
Oxidizing gases Respiratory or skin sensitization
Gases under pressure Germ cell mutagenicity
Flammable liquids Carcinogenicity
Flammable solids Reproductive toxicity
Self-reactive substances and Specific target organ toxicity –
mixtures single exposure
Pyrophoric liquids Specific target organ toxicity –
repeated exposure
Pyrophoric solids Aspiration hazard
Self-heating substances and
mixtures
Substances and mixtures which in
contact with water emit flammable
gases
Oxidizing liquids
Oxidizing solids
Organic peroxides
Corrosive to metals
Desensitized explosives

Within these classes, the severity of the hazard is then The GHS also uses hazard statements, pictograms and
allocated in terms of a hazard category expressed as a signal words to communicate the hazard of the chemical,
number, for instance category 1 would be the most severe. as well as precautionary statements to mitigate any
Category 2 would be less severe than category 1 but potential risks. These are all linked to the hazards that
more severe than category 3, and so forth. Some of these have been identified.
categories are further sub-divided into divisions, which
are expressed as a letter, i.e. A, B, C, etc.

For example, when considering the health hazard

“carcinogenicity”, category 1 is a “known or presumed
human carcinogen”, whereas category 2 is a “suspected
human carcinogen”. Category 1 is however further divided
into category 1A and category 1B; the former being known
to have carcinogenic potential for humans and is largely
based on human evidence, whereas the latter is presumed
to have carcinogenic potential for humans and is largely
based on animal evidence.
Hazard statements
Hazard statements are phrases that describe the hazard/s (i.e. Hxxx) only needs to appear on the safety data sheet
as determined by the hazard classification. They start and not on the label.
with the letter H followed by three numbers. For physical
hazards, the statement will start with H2 (followed by two For example, for the health hazard “Carcinogenicity”,
additional numbers), health hazards start with H3 and the hazard statement for a category 1A or category 1B
environmental hazards with H4, for example H300: Fatal carcinogen is “H350: May cause cancer”. For a category 2
if swallowed. These hazard statements appear both on the carcinogen, the hazard statement is “H351: Suspected of
label as well as the safety data sheet, however the code causing cancer”.

Precautionary statements
Precautionary statements are linked to the hazard For example, for the health hazard “Carcinogenicity”, the
statements and are used to explain how to handle these following precautionary statements should be included
substances, as well as which precautions to take to on the product label and SDS:
ensure any risk associated with handling the product is • Prevention
mitigated. The precautionary statements are preceded by - P203: Obtain, read and follow all safety instructions
the letter P and three numbers that are also categorized before use.
according to type, similar to the hazard statements. For - P280: Wear protective gloves/protective clothing/
instance, general statements will start with P1 followed eye protection/face protection (whichever applicable
by two numbers, prevention statements with P2, response based on usage instructions).
statements P3, storage statements P4 and disposal • Response
statements with P5, e.g P264: Wash hands thoroughly after - P318: IF exposed or concerned, get medical advice.
handling. These statements appear on the product label • Storage
and the safety data sheet. As with the hazard statements, - P405: Store locked up.
the codes (i.e. Pxxx) are only required on the safety data • Disposal
sheet and not the label. - P501: Dispose of contents/container in accordance
with local regulations.

Signal word
Based on the hazards identified and the corresponding For example, if a mixture is classified as a category 1A
categories and thus severity thereof, a signal word is carcinogen, the resulting signal word on the label should
used to describe the hazard. The signal word “Danger” be “Danger”. The same mixture is also classified as being
is used to describe more severe hazards, and the signal a category 1A skin sensitizer, for which the signal word
word “Warning” is used to describe less severe hazards. A “Warning” must be used. Because “Danger” is the most
chemical will only include one signal word which will be severe signal word flagged for the hazards associated
the most severe signal word flagged during the hazard with the chemical, “Danger” will be the final signal word
classification. included on the label.
Pictograms
A pictogram is a graphical representation of the hazards
associated with the chemical and is associated with
a specific hazard class and category. All pictograms hazard and exclamation mark pictograms will be included
prescribed by the GHS have a black symbol on a white on the label and SDS.
background with a red frame. With the exception of the However, if the chemical was classified as a category
exclamation mark, all pictograms flagged by the hazard 1 respiratory sensitizer, flagging the health hazard
classification must always be included on the label and pictogram, and a category 1A skin sensitizer flagging
SDS of the chemical. the exclamation mark pictogram, the exclamation mark
pictogram that was flagged for skin sensitization will not
For example, if a chemical is classified as a category 1A be included on the label and SDS, only the health hazard
carcinogen and a category 1A skin sensitizer, the health pictogram. Both these hazards relate to sensitization
hazard pictogram is flagged by the former and the and the health hazard pictogram indicates a more severe
exclamation mark pictogram by the latter. Both the health sensitization hazard than the exclamation mark.

Table 2: Pictograms used by the GHS to indicate physical, health and environmental hazards.
WHAT CHANGED ON THE
LABEL?
In the past, agricultural remedies were classified and With the implementation of the GHS, the most noticeable
labelled according to the World Health Organization change to the label of an agricultural remedy is the
(WHO) recommended classification of pesticides by removal of the colour band and corresponding pictograms,
hazard. This system classified the remedy based on the and the inclusion of the GHS hazard pictograms, hazard
acute oral and dermal toxicity of the active ingredient(s), statements and precautionary statements. The GHS
which was reflected in the colour band at the bottom of covers more hazards than the previous WHO system
the front panel of the label. Pictograms on the colour and classifies the remedy based on physical, health
band provided information on the personal protective and environmental hazards, not just acute toxicity, and
equipment required and general precautions to take considers the active ingredient(s) as well as the inert
when storing, handling, or applying the remedy. A ingredients in the formulation. Consequently, the GHS is a
corresponding word based on the severity of the toxicity lot more comprehensive in terms of hazard classification
was included on the colour band (Caution, Harmful or and communication than the WHO system.
Toxic). As mentioned, it is important to note that even though
the label and SDS of a chemical have changed, the hazards
associated with the product did not change, only the way
in which these hazards are communicated.

Figure 1: Example of an agricultural remedy label where the remedy has been classified and labelled
according to the WHO recommended classification of pesticides by hazard.
Figure 2: Example of the colour bands and pictograms used on agricultural remedy labels when using the
WHO recommended classification of pesticides by hazard.

Figure 3: Example of an agricultural remedy label where the remedy has been classified and labelled
according to the GHS.
Figure 4: Example of the hazard pictograms, hazard statements and precautionary statements used
when classifying and labelling an agricultural remedy according to GHS.

Table 3: Noticeable changes to the labels of agricultural remedies between the WHO recommended
classification of pesticides by hazard and the GHS.

WHO recommended classification of GHS

pesticides by hazard
The acute toxicity of the active ingredient(s) is used to All ingredients in the formulation are used to classify
classify the remedy. the remedy.
Only acute toxicity is considered. Acute toxicity is considered along with chronic toxicity,
as well as other health hazards, physical hazards and
environmental hazards.
Only oral and dermal exposure is considered for acute Apart from oral and dermal exposure, exposure by
toxicity. inhalation is also considered for acute toxicity.
A colour band with precautionary pictograms and a Hazard pictograms, hazard statements, precautionary
word describing the acute toxicity of the product is statements and a signal word is used to communicate
included on the front panel of the label to communicate the potential hazards associated with the remedy.
the potential hazards associated with the remedy.
CHANGES TO THE SAFETY DATA SHEET

Safety Data Sheets are produced for all substances and 5. Fire-fighting measures
mixtures which meet the harmonized criteria for physical, 6. Accidental release measures
health or environmental hazards under the GHS and for 7. Handling and storage
all mixtures which contain ingredients that meet the 8. Exposure controls/personal protection
criteria for specific chronic hazards in concentrations 9. Physical and chemical properties
exceeding the cut-off limits provided in the GHS. These 10. Stability and reactivity
documents are no longer referred to as Material Safety 11. Toxicological information
Data Sheets (MSDS), but merely as Safety Data Sheets 12. Ecological information
(SDS). Safety Data Sheets as composed under the GHS 13. Disposal considerations
has a standard format, providing information on the 14. Transport information
chemical under 16 headings: 15. Regulatory information
1. Identification 16. Other information
2. Hazard(s) identification
3. Composition/information on ingredients It is important to read and understand all the information
4. First-aid measures provided in the SDS before using a hazardous chemical.

HAZARD VS RISK
The degree of a chemical’s capacity to harm depends on certain risks involved with working with the product, but
its intrinsic properties, i.e. its capacity to interfere with these are mitigated if the label instructions are followed.
normal biological processes, and its capacity to burn, Just because a product is hazardous, does not mean it
explode, corrode, etc. The concept of risk or the likelihood cannot be applied safely. A vehicle, for instance, can also
of harm occurring, and subsequently communication be a hazard if you consider the number of accidents on
of that information, is introduced when exposure is the road, but we don’t just ban vehicles altogether because
considered in conjunction with the data regarding of this. Instead, we mitigate the risk by wearing a safety
potential hazards. The basic approach to risk assessment belt, adhering to the speed limit and following other road
is characterized by the simple formula: safety regulations. The same logic applies when working
with hazardous chemicals, which is why understanding
hazard x exposure = risk the product label and safety data sheet is so important.
And remember, any application of a crop protection
Thus, if you can minimize either hazard or exposure, you product in any manner other than the label instructions is
minimize the risk or likelihood of harm occurring. a contravention of the law, so do the right thing and make
The GHS’s aim is to communicate the inherent hazards sure you, and any person working with you, know exactly
of the chemical, and because of these hazards, there are how to use these products safely and responsibly.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
More information on the GHS classification procedure, hazard statements, precautionary statements, pictograms and
signal words can be obtained from: https://unece.org/sites/default/files/2023-07/GHS%20Rev10e.pdf

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