When musicians create music, it just comes to them. There is no set date or time from which they get inspiration, nor is there any imposed time for inspiration to happen – it happens on its own time and in its own way.

Harmony and melody are the two vital parts of any piece of music, and any music falls apart without harmony.

The same could be said for workplace safety – without the harmony, a workplace can descend into chaos and be a high-risk area for injuries.  A workplace is harmonious when the workers work well together, they are all following protocols and policies and the company is efficient in terms of productivity, communication and safety reminders.

[Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons]Believe it or not, there have been different standards and regulartions in different countries for handling hazardous chemicals and materials. That is soon to change with the new GHS that is due to be implemented by mid-2016.

There is another harmony, though, that has generally be lacking on an international scale, and it refers to an overarching safety protocol that transcends international borders. Believe it or not, the safety regulations in our home country are not the same in other countries, and especially when it comes to hazardous chemicals and other materials – every country has different standards in terms of labeling and handling of such hazards.

This is where the Globally Harmonized Health and Safety System, or GHS, comes into play. This system is being implemented worldwide to help develop some uniformity in the safety programs across countries and continents – which has become especially important with so much of our economy being international, and companies sometimes taking advantage of more lax regulations in some countries compared to others. The idea here is to level the playing field around the world so all workers can be safe without language barriers or socioeconomics serving as excuses.

There are some key dates to keep in mind as your company or industry starts making the transition to the new GHS standards. For example:

  • June 1, 2016 – this is the date that the new GHS standards are slated to be fully implemented in the U.S. and Canada.
  • December 1, 2015 – this is expected to be the date that distributors in the U.S. and Canada will be sending out only the proper labels and products according to the new GHS standards, which is consistent with either the Hazcom 1994 or new 2012 standards. The old labels and products will need to have been fully phased out by this date.
  • June 1, 2015 – This is the magical date for manufacturers, distributors and importers in the U.S. to re-classify chemicals and re-authorize documentation according to the GHS standards.

If your company handles materials that are subject to the new GHS standards, have you at least started to review the new expectations and start the transition? The year 2015 will be an important year in the transition, and we all know that the new year will sneak up on us if we’re not careful.

It doesn’t take long to make the transition to be in compliance with GHS, but it’s a good idea to have the plan in mind and laid out for your company to begin implementing sooner rather than later. After all, there is nothing illegal about being ready before these deadlines.

Harmony can happen on its own time … provided it doesn’t take too long for the government, that is.