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HAZARD STATEMENT, PRECAUTIONARY STATEMENT AND SUPPLEMENTAL LABEL ELEMENTS

HAZARD STATEMENT, PRECAUTIONARY STATEMENT AND SUPPLEMENTAL LABEL ELEMENTS

Most common non-compliances

  • Hazard or precautionary statements for one or more product hazard classes are missing, incomplete or incorrect.
  • Combined precautionary statements do not convey the same information as the required individual statements.
  • Forward slashes or diagonal marks [/] and/or three full stops […] are retained in precautionary statements, indicating the required information to complete the statement was not selected or specified.
  • The supplemental label element indicating the percentage of ingredients with unknown acute toxicity for a product that is classified under the acute toxicity health hazard class is not disclosed.

Tips

  • Hazard and precautionary statements for the appropriate hazard classes and categories/subcategories must be disclosed.
  • Precautionary statements may be combined, however, the combination must convey the same information as the required individual statements.
  • Physical hazards not otherwise classified (PHNOC), biohazardous infectious materials (BIM), and health hazards not otherwise classified (HHNOC) do not have prescribed hazard statements. The supplier must disclose the applicable hazard statement(s) that describes the nature of the hazard.
  • Certain hazard statements require the supplier to complete the prescribed statement as appropriate.
    • For example, the hazard statement “May cause damage to organs <…> through prolonged or repeated exposure <<…>>” may be incomplete if the label does not specify which organ may be affected (<...>), if known, or the route of exposure (<<…>>) if it is conclusively proven that no other routes of exposure cause the hazard.
  • When a forward slash or diagonal mark [/] appears in a precautionary statement in section 3 of Annex 3 of the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS), it indicates that the supplier must select the appropriate phrase(s), as applicable.
    • For example, the precautionary statement “Wear protective gloves/protective clothing/eye protection/face protection” could read “Wear eye protection” or “Wear eye and face protection” (as appropriate for the safe handling of the hazardous product).
  • When three full stops […] appear in a precautionary statement in section 3 of Annex 3 of the GHS, this indicates that all applicable conditions may not be listed.
    • For example, in the case of the precautionary statement “Wash…thoroughly after handling”, the “…” must be replaced by an indication of what parts of the body should be washed after handling, such as, “Wash your hands and all exposed skin thoroughly after handling.”
  • Additional tips can be found in the Technical Guidance on the Requirements of the Hazardous Products Act and the Hazardous Products Regulations.
Date page last modified:
2024-04-12