Gulf States to implement GHS in 2020

The trade bloc of the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar) expects to adopt the UN GHS (Globally Harmonized System) on classification and labelling of hazardous chemicals by mid next year.

A draft of the standard, published in October by the Gulf Standards Organization (GSO), will standardize the fifth revised edition of the GHS for its member states.

Each GCC country will have to adapt the voluntary standard to existing national legislation, a situation that could lengthen the process by up to 3 years.

In order to incorporate the standard into the regulation, the Gulf Chemical and Petrochemical Association (GPCA) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) are meeting with environmental workers in each country. In addition, it is expected that a regional committee will be created in order to transmit information in an effective manner, allowing chemical officials to meet and communicate the best practices to other members.