It’s been almost three months since South Korea implemented the new MSDS rules on January 16, 2021 (ChemLinked news[1]). Because the revised Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) and its supporting regulations that stipulate the requirements on submission of MSDS and CBI non-disclosure application are in Korean, foreign companies have difficulties understanding the compliance duties. The Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA) under the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MoEL) published a leaflet in Korean this January illustrating the detailed requirements to facilitate the implementation. Recently, the authority translated it into English and made it available on the MSDS platform[2] to a wider global audience. Click here[3] to download the English leaflet.
Although corresponding grace periods have been set based on the annual volume of chemicals to buffer industry and the only representative (OR) system is adopted for actual compliance, foreign companies are recommended to be well prepared and stay abreast of the changes to maintain a competitive edge.
