GHS compliance means meeting the requirements of the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS), an internationally recognized framework for communicating chemical hazards. For organizations that manufacture, import, distribute, or use hazardous chemicals, GHS compliance means classifying chemical hazards correctly, labeling products according to GHS standards, and producing properly formatted Safety Data Sheets (SDSs) for every hazardous substance.
What Is the GHS?
The GHS is a United Nations framework designed to standardize how chemical hazards are classified and communicated around the world. Before GHS, different countries used different systems to describe the same chemical hazards, which created confusion, increased risk, and made global trade more complicated.
The GHS introduced three standardized components:
- Consistent hazard classification criteria, so the same chemical is evaluated the same way regardless of where it’s sold
- Standardized label elements, including signal words, hazard statements, precautionary statements, and pictograms
- A uniform 16-section SDS format, so hazard information appears in the same order and structure worldwide
Countries adopt GHS into their own national regulations at their own pace, which is why the version of GHS in effect can vary by country. An SDS that’s fully compliant in one jurisdiction may need adjustments before it’s compliant in another.
How Does GHS Compliance Work in the United States?
In the U.S., GHS is implemented through OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard (HazCom). When OSHA revised HazCom in 2012 to align with GHS, it required chemical manufacturers and importers to update their SDSs to the 16-section format, update labels to include GHS-required elements, and reclassify chemicals according to GHS criteria.
OSHA updated HazCom again in 2024 to align with the 7th revised edition of GHS, introducing changes to classification criteria and label requirements that organizations need to incorporate into their compliance programs. Each update to HazCom effectively resets part of an organization’s SDS and label library, since documents compliant under the previous version aren’t automatically compliant under the new one.
What Are the Key Elements of GHS Compliance?
For most organizations, GHS compliance involves three main areas:
| Element | What It Requires |
| Hazard Classification | Evaluating chemical substances and mixtures against GHS criteria to determine the correct hazard category and class |
| Labeling | Ensuring product labels include the required GHS elements: signal word, hazard pictograms, hazard statements, precautionary statements, and supplier identification |
| Safety Data Sheets | Producing SDSs that follow the 16-section format and contain accurate, complete hazard information aligned with current GHS classifications |
Each of these areas depends on the one before it. An incorrect hazard classification produces an incorrect label and an incorrect SDS, which is why classification accuracy is generally the highest-leverage place to focus a GHS compliance program.
Why Is GHS Compliance an Ongoing Process?
GHS compliance isn’t something an organization achieves once and moves on from. Several factors keep it in motion:
- The GHS itself is periodically revised. New editions introduce updated classification criteria, new hazard classes, or revised label elements.
- Countries adopt new GHS versions on their own timelines. A revision that’s already in effect in one market may not take effect elsewhere for years, which means multi-market organizations often manage more than one GHS version at once.
- Chemical formulations change. Any reformulation can shift a hazard classification and require an updated SDS and label.
- New hazard data becomes available. Toxicological or environmental data published after a product’s original classification can require reclassification.
For organizations managing large chemical portfolios or operating across multiple markets, staying current with GHS requirements is a significant operational challenge, and one that purpose-built SDS authoring and compliance software is specifically designed to address.
How Does SDS Authoring Software Support GHS Compliance?
SDS authoring software supports GHS compliance by tying classification, labeling, and SDS generation together in one workflow, rather than treating them as three separate manual steps. When a regulatory update changes a classification criterion or a jurisdiction adopts a new GHS revision, the impact should flow through to affected SDSs and labels automatically instead of requiring someone to track the change and manually update every affected document.
TotalSDS by Enhesa’s SDS Author applies GHS classification criteria as part of the authoring workflow itself, including jurisdiction-specific differences like the ones described in our guide on how regulatory intelligence sharpens hazard communication and SDS accuracy. Once an SDS is authored and classified, SDS Manager keeps it centralized, accessible, and version-tracked across every site that needs it, so a GHS-driven update to one document doesn’t get lost across a fragmented library.
Key Takeaways
- GHS compliance covers three connected areas: hazard classification, labeling, and SDS authoring, each following standardized GHS criteria.
- In the U.S., GHS is implemented through OSHA’s HazCom standard, most recently updated in 2024 to align with the 7th revised edition of GHS.
- Because countries adopt GHS revisions on different timelines, the same chemical can require different SDS content depending on the market it’s sold into.
- GHS compliance is ongoing, not a one-time project, since the framework itself, national adoption timelines, formulations, and available hazard data all continue to change.
- Software that connects classification, labeling, and SDS generation into one workflow reduces the manual tracking required to stay current as GHS evolves.
Frequently Asked Questions About GHS Compliance
What does GHS compliance actually require? GHS compliance requires classifying chemical hazards according to GHS criteria, labeling products with the required GHS elements (signal word, pictograms, hazard statements, and precautionary statements), and producing SDSs in the standardized 16-section format.
Is GHS the same in every country? No. The GHS is a UN framework, but individual countries adopt it into their own national regulations on their own timelines and with their own variations, which means the specific requirements can differ by jurisdiction even though the underlying framework is the same.
How does OSHA’s HazCom standard relate to GHS? OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard is the U.S. implementation of GHS. HazCom was revised in 2012 to align with GHS and updated again in 2024 to align with the 7th revised edition of GHS.
Does GHS compliance ever stay static? No. GHS compliance requires ongoing attention because the GHS framework is periodically revised, countries adopt new versions at different times, chemical formulations change, and new hazard data can affect existing classifications.
Can software help maintain GHS compliance across multiple markets? Yes. SDS authoring and management software can apply jurisdiction-specific GHS criteria automatically and keep SDSs and labels centralized and version-tracked, reducing the manual effort required to stay current as regulations and formulations change.
Stay Ahead of GHS Changes Without the Manual Effort
Keeping SDSs and labels current as GHS evolves, and as countries adopt new revisions on their own schedules, is difficult to manage manually across a large or growing chemical portfolio. TotalSDS by Enhesa connects GHS-based classification, labeling, and SDS authoring in one workflow through SDS Author, backed by a centralized, version-tracked library through SDS Manager.
See TotalSDS compliance tools in action by exploring our full solutions, or read how regulatory intelligence keeps hazard communication accurate as GHS requirements change.
