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On June 13, 2022, Malaysia’s Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) issued the draft amendments to the Occupational Safety and Health (Classification, Labelling and Safety Data Sheet of Hazardous Chemicals) Regulations 2013 (CLASS Regulations). The draft proposal is currently undergoing public consultation until August 15, 2022.
In Malaysia, the CLASS Regulations, promulgated under the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994, was introduced on October 11, 2013 as a step towards the implementation of the Globally Harmonized System of Chemical Classification and Hazard Communication (GHS) in the workplaces.
The draft amendment mainly focuses on the review of the scope of exemptions, hazard classification and labelling requirements.
Exemptions
As proposed, cosmetics and herbal ingredients, and drugs as defined under the Control of Drugs and Cosmetics Regulations 1984 [P.U. (A) 223/1984], as well as the foodstuff will be exempt from the CLASS regulations. Pesticides, if registered, labelled and packaged according to the Pesticides Act 1974 [Act 149] will be exempt from the packaging and labelling requirements of the CLASS regulation.
Hazard Classification
The proposed amendment aims to align with UN GHS Rev.8. Below are the notable amendments, including:
Adding two hazard classes: Chemicals under pressure (Cat. 1~3) and Desensitized explosives (Cat.1~4)
Updating hazard categories for Flammable gases
Adding Cat. 3 for Aerosols
Adding Cat. 3 for Skin corrosion or irritation
Dividing Cat. 2 for Serious eye damage or eye irritation into 2A and 2B
Updating hazard categories for Respiratory sensitization/ skin sensitization as 1A(1) and 1B(1)
Labelling
The label area shall be specified instead of the label dimension, and the pictogram size will be based on the specified label area (see table below).
Current requirements | Proposed amendments | ||
Capacity of packaging | Label dimension (mm x mm) | Label size （mm2） | Pictogram dimension (mm x mm) |
≤ 3 litres | If practicable, at least 52 x 74 | If practical, at least 3850 | At least 10 x 10 |
＞ 3 litres but ≤ 50 litres | At least 74 x 105 | At least 7770 | At least 23 x 23 |
＞ 50 litres but ≤ 500 litres | At least 105 x 148 | At least 15540 | At least 32 x 32 |
＞ 500 litres | At least 148 x 210 | At least 31080 | At least 46 x 46 |
In addition, the period for updating a label will be extended from “within 3 months” to “within 6 months” if there are changes to the hazard classification.
Cut-off Limit
The cut-off limit for constituents possessing aspiration hazard will be changed from 10% to 1%. The cut-off limits for constituents possessing other health or environmental hazards in the Fifth Schedule of CLASS Regulations remain unchanged.
