Dangerous Goods Labels: A Quick Compliance Guide

AsPractitioners,are you also troubled by the safety label requirements for hazardous chemicals?Dont worry.Today,we will conduct a relaxed and pleasant compliance interpretation to help you quickly master these complex regulations and ensure the safe and smooth progress of your import business.

I.Regulatory Requirements

According to the Regulations on the Safety Management of Hazardous Chemicals (Decree No.591) of the State Council,production and business enterprises of hazardous chemicals must paste safety labels consistent with the packaging contents on the packaging of hazardous chemicals.Otherwise,they will face the risk of fines or even business suspension.This regulation also applies tochemicals.The Announcement on Issues Concerning the Inspection and Supervision of Imported and Exported Hazardous Chemicals and Their Packaging (Announcement No.129 of 2020) of the General Administration of Customs and other relevant regulations clearly state the requirement to provide safety labels during the import process.

II.Standard Requirements

The Regulations for Preparation of Chemical Safety Labels (GB 15258 - 2009) issued by China in 2009 is consistent with the United Nations GHS system,ensuring that the label content meets international standards.

III.Size Requirements for Safety Labels

According to the different capacities of containers or packages,the size requirements for safety labels also vary:

• Lessthanorequalto0.1liters:Simplifiedlabelscanbeused;
• 1to3liters:50×75mm;
• 3to50liters:75×100mm;
• 50to500liters:100×150mm;
• 500to1000liters:150×200mm;
• Morethan1000liters:200×300mm.

Simplified labels are applicable to small - capacity packages,do not contain precautionary statements,and mainly mark basic hazard information.

IV.Printing Requirements for Safety Labels

• Thelabelshouldhaveablackborder,withatleast3mmofblankspaceoutsidetheborder,andtheborderwidthshouldbenolessthan1mm;
• Thepictogramshouldbeclearlyrecognizablefromadistanceandunderadverseconditions;
• Thelabelshouldbeprintedclearly,andthematerialshouldbedurableandwaterproof.

V.Position Requirements for Safety Labels

The label should be pasted in a prominent position on the package:

• Barrel-shapedandbottle-shapedpackages:Pasteontheside;
• Box-shapedpackages:Pasteontheendfaceortheobviousside;
• Bag-shapedandbundledpackages:Pasteinanobviousplace.

If the chemical is a dangerous good,a dangerous goods transport label should be pasted simultaneously.

VI.Color Requirements for Safety Labels

The pictogram usually has black symbols on a white background,with a red border; the label text should use a color with a significant contrast to the background color to ensure easy identification.

VII.Precautions for Pasting Safety Labels

• Thelabelshouldbeprinted,pasted,orattachedbytheproductionenterprisebeforethegoodsleavethefactory;
• Thelabelmustbefirmtoensurethatitdoesnotfallofforgetdamagedduringtransportationandstorage;
• Ifthecomponentsofthechemicalchange,thelabelshouldbeupdatedinatimelymanner,andundernormalcircumstances,itshouldbeupdatedatleastonceeveryfiveyears;
• Thelabelonthecontainercontaininghazardouschemicalsshallnotbetornoffuntilitisconfirmedthatthehazardhasbeencompletelyeliminated.

Summary

The safety label requirements for hazardous chemicals are numerous and strict,but as long as you master the key points,the path to compliance is not that complicated.From regulations,standards,size,printing,position to color,we will break down these cumbersome requirements one by one for you to help you easily handle the compliance operation of imported hazardous chemicals.We hope this article can help your import and export business and ensure that each batch of goods passes the customs inspection safely and quickly.