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TESTING, TESTING
Institute for Training and Research (Unitar) and 12 non-governmental organisations. The Sub-committee heard that the English, French and Russian language versions of the eighth revised edition of GHS had already been published and that the Spanish, Chinese and Arabic versions were being prepared [although they have not, as of June 2020, appeared]. It was also noted that the English and French language versions of the seventh revised edition of the Manual of Tests and Criteria were also available.
to improve the testing of oxidising liquids and solids, specifically the testing of materials of different particle sizes distribution and coated materials, as well as improvements to the testing methods for the Tests O.1, O.2 and O.3. Work was still ongoing, by means of round-robin testing at 13 laboratories in eight countries. At the time of the meeting, experimental data were being gathered and processed. A report on further progress will be made at the next session. The chairman of the Working Group on Explosives reported to both sub-committees on the work of the International Group of Experts on the Unstable and Energetic Substances (IGUS) ad hoc working group on the revision of UN test series H. Changes had recently been adopted to cover polymerising substances but a broader review had been carried out to update the current test descriptions and to delete over-specification, especially in the adiabatic
TDG MATTERS The first item on the agenda was to review the work of the sister UN Sub-committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods (TDG), particularly as it relates to GHS matters. France reported on the work
storage test (AST) in test H.2 and the isothermal storage test (IST) in test H.3, along with the introduction of standard heat-loss values, where possible, for packagings. The paper included specific proposals to amend 28.1 in Section 28 of the Manual
GHS • ALTHOUGH THEY DEAL WITH DIFFERENT SCENARIOS, THE PURPLE AND ORANGE BOOKS NEED TO KEEP IN STEP. THE GHS EXPERTS SPEND MUCH OF THEIR TIME MAKING SURE THE UN SUB-COMMITTEE of Experts on the Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) held its 38th session in Geneva this past 11 to 13 December. The meeting was the second of four planned for the current (2019/2020) regulatory biennium, although the third meeting was subsequently cancelled due to the current Coronavirus pandemic. The session was chaired by Maureen Ruskin (US) with Paul Taylor (Australia) as vice-chair. It was attended by experts from 19 countries, observers from Switzerland and Thailand and representatives from the EU, the UN
HAZARD COMMUNICATION FOR GHS AND TDG MEET DIFFERENT NEEDS SO ARE NOT ALWAYS THE SAME
HCB MONTHLY | JULY 2020
