Saudi Arabia - GHS Status

At the moment, Saudi Arabia has not implemented the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). However, the Gulf Standards Organization (GSO) of which Saudi Arabia is a member, is planning to implement the fifth revised version of the GHS (GHS5). The implementation is expected to occur in the near future as it has been reported that the first draft for implementation of GHS5 is ready.  Although the GHS has not be implemented in Saudi Arabia, there are other legislation and regulations for chemicals including:

• GCC Unified Guiding Regulation for the Control of Hazardous Chemicals (2002)
• GSO 1810/2007 Labelling
• GSO 01/ISO 11014:2012 – Safety data sheets for chemical products – Content and order of sections (ISO 11014:2009), which has been technically revised to align it with GHS

Labelling Requirements 

As no GHS version is implemented, Saudi Arabia has its own national labelling requirements. A substance is correctly labelled if the label includes the following information in both English and Arabic. 

• Halal certification should be based on the harmonized Halal Standards & Islamic Sharia requirements for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. 
• Certificate of origin (Israeli products are not allowed in the country) 
• The label should be in metric measurements. 
• Both the Gregorian calendar and the Hejire calendar are used. 
• Containers which hold hazardous chemical should be labelled individually

Safety Data Sheet 

Manufacturers, suppliers, and people working with hazardous substances are required under the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (SASO) to provide Safety Data Sheet (SDS) information. It should be noted that the definition of a hazardous substance is defined by local authorities.

GHS is Work-Environment 

Although the GHS has not been implemented in Saudi Arabia, there are several laws which try to maintain guidelines and regulations to protect workers in the work environment. One of the organizations which is responsible for these regulations is the Saudi Arabian Occupational Safety and Health (OSH).