Argentina
SRT 801/2015

How is the GHS implemented
in Argentina?

On April 10, 2015, Resolution 801/2015 of the Superintendency of Occupational Risks (SRT 801/2015) approved the implementation of the Globally Harmonized System of classification and labelling of chemical products (GHS) in the workplace.

This resolution adopts the classification procedure, classes and categories of hazards of the GHS, in addition to establishing as elements of hazard communication, labels and safety data sheets (SDS). In addition, and very relevantly, in Argentina the GHS is supplemented by the norms 41.400/2013 (SDS) and 41.401/2020 (labelling) of the Argentine Institute of Standardization and Certification (IRAM).

What is SRT 801/2015?

• Resolution 801/2015 is the adaptation of GHS Revision 5 in Argentina.
• It is mandatory since April 15, 2016, for substances, and since January 1, 2017, for chemical mixtures.
• The main official body responsible for the GHS adaptation is the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security and the Superintendency of Occupational Risks.
• Some chemicals are collected by other federal agencies such as:

  • Pesticides, which are regulated according to the National Service of Agricultural Food Health and Quality (SENASA).

  • Cosmetics, which are controlled by the National Administration of Drugs, Food and Medical Devices (ANMAT).
  • Detergents, which are a subcategory of household sanitary products regulated by ANMAT.

What are the most relevant points of SRT 801/2015?

• Both the SDS and the label, must be in Spanish.
• The SDS must follow the 16-section structure of the GHS. The guidelines on the preparation of SDS are included in the IRAM 41.400/2013 Standard.
• The General Precautionary Statements (P1XX) are not included by Resolution SRT N° 801/15 since they are not mandatory in the field of work. For example, P102: Keep out of reach of children.
• When the chemical is a simple substance, it is not necessary to carry out new tests or repeat them, since international information that contemplates that instance, can be used. It also applies to already characterized mixtures.
• It has three types of hazards for the purposes of classification and labelling: physical hazards, health hazards and environmental hazards.
  • However, the following hazards are not covered by Argentinian legislation: chemicals under pressure (all categories), flammable gases (category 1A and 1B), pyrophoric gases (category 1A).
• The guidelines for the labelling of hazardous chemical substances and mixtures are set out in IRAM 41.401/2020 Standard. The size of the label and pictograms according to the size of the packaging indicated in this standard, must always be respected, and the minimum requirements of the labelling include: product name, emergency contact details of the supplier (the emergency telephone number must be available 24 hours a day), chemical composition, pictograms, danger words, H phrases and P phrases.

What other chemical regulatory requirements apply in Argentina?

• Resolution 192/2019 establishes the National List of Existing, Restricted and Prohibited Chemical Substances that aims to keep an adequate register of all the chemical substances present in the country and the restrictions that affect them, facilitating the application of national regulations and compliance with the international environmental commitments assumed.
• Cosmetic products are regulated by the ANMAT. In Disposal 1112/99, the limitations corresponding to the use of certain raw materials that can be used in Personal Hygiene Products, Cosmetics and Perfumes, whether domestically made or imported, are determined. In the annexes, there are:
  • Annex I - "List of prohibited substances”
  • Annex II - "List of substances of limited use”
  • Annex III - "List of authorized dyes”
  • Annex IV – "List of authorized conservators”

At the national level, Disposal 6544/2012 also governs, which establishes in its Annex the List of Substances of Limited Use Observed at National Level for Personal Hygiene Products, Cosmetics and Perfumes.

• The detergent products included in the list of household sanitary products, are regulated by ANMAT. Disposal 5702/2017 provides for the lists of categories of domestic health products in Annex I, which in turn classifies them into a list of products registered with Risk I and Risk II. Non-classified household sanitary products are listed in Annex II.
• SENASA is the authority responsible for regulating and supervising the registration of pesticides. Phytosanitary, products must be registered in the National Register of Plant Therapeutics, where a list of active substances and formulated products, can be found, in accordance with Decrees 3489/58 and 5769/59 and the Manual of Procedures, Criteria and Scopes for the Registration of Plant Protection Products in the Argentinian Republic, approved by SAGPYA Resolution N° 350/99.
• The transport of chemicals within MERCOSUR is controlled by MERCOSUR regulation, while nationally the transport of chemicals by land is regulated by Decree 779/95 (Annex S) and Resolution 195/97.
• Law No. 24.051/1991 on Hazardous Waste is responsible for the generation, handling, transport, treatment and final disposal of hazardous waste, including those from the chemical industry. Hazardous waste shall be those indicated in Annex I or those possessing any of the characteristics listed in Annex II.

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