OSHA and Health Canada Reps Will Take Your Questions

The U.S. transition to GHS is complete, but OSHA continues to issue interpretive letters in response to questions from industry. For instance, OSHA declared in a recent letter that it does not consider lithium batteries to be articles, meaning they must be accompanied by safety data sheets. “I would want to know what other things we traditionally thought of as articles that OSHA is considering under this standard,” says Denese Deeds, senior consultant, industrial Health & Safety Consultants.

At Stewardship 2016 you can raise questions like this directly with OSHA Deputy Director Maureen Ruskin during the session North American (and Beyond) Implementation of the GHS, 2016 Status. Ruskin will also talk about the guidance it issues to compliance officers regarding the hazard communications standards.

“I would want to know when OSHA is going to end the enforcement delay that’s in place right now regarding chemical manufacturers’ labels and safety data sheets,” says Deeds. “We know there's a drop-dead date in two years, but are we going to see actual enforcement in the next year?”

Deeds will moderate the session, which also includes an update on Canada’s implementation of GHS from Daniel Wolfish, director, Workplace Hazardous Materials Bureau, Health Canada.

“The transition to the GHS here and in Canada is a huge change for those who produce chemicals and also for everyone who uses chemicals in their workplace,” says Deeds. “Attendees will get the opportunity to hear regulators share where they feel there are weaknesses or problems. And they’ll have the opportunity to ask questions about the things they're uncertain about.”

At the session Deeds will also updates attendees on the status of GHS implementation around the world. “That will be useful for product stewards who work at multinational companies and want to get up-to-speed on where the various countries are with GHS,” she says.