Establishing a national GHS coordinating committee
Successful implementation of the GHS can be facilitated by effective coordination of relevant sectors and stakeholders and the activities in which they are involved. This can reduce duplication of efforts and serve to improve consistency and coordination in overall chemical hazard management in a country. Because of the number of people potentially involved in GHS implementation, establishing a coordinating infrastructure is a helpful way to frame the development of a GHS implementation strategy. This infrastructure serves to ensure that communication is ongoing between the actor groups (government, business and industry, and civil society); across the four sectors (including consideration of cross-sectoral issues); and between stakeholders and the national coordinating committee.
Identify who will lead the GHS implementation project. The lead may come from on of the key sectors affected by the GHS, or another government agency with oversight functions.
Next steps can include:
- identifying potentially affected sectors, and
- developing terms of reference.
Relevant tools
- UNECE, Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS, Rev.5), (Geneva: United Nations, 2013), ST/SG/AC.10/30/Rev.5
- UNITAR, ILO and IOMC (2012), Understanding the GHS: A Companion Guide to the Purple Book, June 2012 Edition, (UNITAR, Geneva)
- UNITAR, ILO and IOMC (2010), Developing a National GHS Implementation Strategy, September 2010 Edition (UNITAR, Geneva)
- UNITAR and IOMC (2008), IOMC: Assisting Countries with the Transition Phase for GHS Implementation (tools and resources of the IOMC to support implementation of the GHS), November 2008 Edition, (UNITAR, Geneva)