Slide 1

Government of Brazil
Ministry of Labour and Employment

Forum V Side Event
GHS Implementation: Contributing to National
Chemical Safety and Sustainable Development

Brazilian Experience on the Implementation of GHS
Roque Puiatti, MSc
Ministry of Labour and Employment


Slide 2

Government of Brazil
Ministry of Labour and Employment

Background

• 1998 – Ratification of the International Labour
Organization (ILO) 170 Convention - (Safe Use of
Chemicals in the Workplace)
• 1998 to 2001 – Participation of the ILO Working
Group on Hazard Communication
• 2001 – Application for a member of the SubCommittee of Experts on the Globally Harmonized
System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals
(SCEGHS) – UN ECOSOC


Slide 3

Government of Brazil
Ministry of Labour and Employment

www.unece.org/trans/danger/publi/ghs/ghs_welcome_e.html


Slide 4

Government of Brazil
Ministry of Labour and Employment

International Landmarks
• 1992 - AGENDA 21 – Rio de Janeiro - Brazil
- Chapter 19 – Programatic Area “B”

• 2000 – IFCS FORUM III – Salvador - Brazil
- Bahia Declaration – GHS fully operational by 2008

• 2002 - WSSD – Johannesburg – South Africa
- Implementation Plan – Art. 22

• Dec 2002 – Adoption of the GHS – SCEGHS

• 2003 – IFCS FORUM IV – Bangkok - Thailand


Slide 5

Government of Brazil
Ministry of Labour and Employment

National Commission on Chemical Safety
• Ministerial Ordinance N º 319 - Dec/2000 – CONASQ
• Objective: chemical safety multi-institutional

promotion and development
• National Programme on Chemical Safety - 10 Priorities
• Participants: 22 institutions (government and civil
society)

• Chair: Ministry of Environment
• Vice-Chair: Ministry of Health


Slide 6

Government of Brazil
Ministry of Labour and Employment

Working Group GHS Brazil

• Started in 2001
• GHS Subgroup of the National Commission on
Chemical Safety - CONASQ
Priority Action: GHS Implementation
• Chair: Ministry of Development, Industry and Trade
• Vice-Chair: Ministry of Labour

• 12 institutions participating


Slide 7

Government of Brazil
Ministry of Labour and Employment

Working Group GHS Brazil

• 2006 : 43 National Institutions
• MDIC, INMETRO, MTE, FUNDACENTRO, MS,
FIOCRUZ, ANVISA, MMA, IBAMA, SRF/MF, MME, MRE,
MCT, MAPA, MT, ANTT, ABEMA, CRST/PMSP, ABIQUIM,
ASSOCIQUIM, ABRAFATI, ABNT, ABIFINA, ANDEF,
AENDA, ABICLOR/CLOROSUR, ABIHPEC, ABEGAS,
PETROBRAS, MI/SNDC, IBP, ONIP, SNDC, CFQ, ABQ,
SBTOX, ABONG, IQ/UnB, SINCOQUIM, SITIVESP,
Agência IntegraBrasil, CNQ/CUT, CRQ-IV,...
• Other stakeholders to be mobilized: Consumers
Associations, Emergency Responders, NGOs (Public
Interest, Academic, Labour, Environment, ...),...


Slide 8

Government of Brazil
Ministry of Labour and Employment

Working Group GHS Brazil

• 2002 – Five meetings
• Brazilian GHS Implementation Preliminary Study
developed by the Brazilian Chemical Industry
Association - ABIQUIM (“state of the art”,
difficulties and challenges)
• 1st National Workshop - Sao Paulo, Nov 2002


Slide 9

Government of Brazil
Ministry of Labour and Employment

Working Group GHS Brazil

• 2002 – GHS Brazil Web Page
• Hosted by the Ministry of Development, Industry and
Trade

• Updated Information, Meetings Reports, Workshops
Documents, Seminars, Links,...

http://www.desenvolvimento.gov.br/sitio/secex/
negInternacionais/claRotSubQuimicas/oquee.php


Slide 10

Government of Brazil
Ministry of Labour and Employment

GHS Brazil Web page


Slide 11

Government of Brazil
Ministry of Labour and Employment

Working Group GHS Brazil

• 2003-2004 –Five meetings/year
• Set up the Sub-groups: Glossary, Training,
Laboratories, Legislation, Public Awareness, Terms
of Reference, Implementation
• 1st Workshop on Laboratory’s Role in the GHS
(sept 2004 – Sao Paulo)

• Presentations about the GHS in Seminars,
Congress, Workshops,...


Slide 12

Government of Brazil
Ministry of Labour and Employment

South America Workshop

• South American

Sub-regional Workshop on Chemical
Hazard Communication and GHS Implementation
29 Nov to 02 Dec 2004 - São Paulo (UNITAR/ILO/GTZ/USA/Brazil)


Slide 13

Government of Brazil
Ministry of Labour and Employment

South America Workshop Conclusions

•Reaffirmation of the commitment to the WSSD
target of GHS implementation by 2008

•Agreement on the benefits of appropriate GHS
implementation to facilitate trade and improve the
protection of human health and the environment
•Agreement that national development

mechanisms for multisectoral approaches, with
relevant civil society organizations, is essential for
GHS implementation


Slide 14

Government of Brazil
Ministry of Labour and Employment

MERCOSUR

• SGT-11 and RMS (Working Group and Ministries
Meeting – Health)
2 Commissions (Environmental Health and
Risks Management)
• SGT-10 (Working Group Labour)

• SGT-6 (Working Group Environment)


Slide 15

Government of Brazil
Ministry of Labour and Employment

Working Group GHS Brazil

• 2005 - Four meetings
• Workshop about Hazard Communication (GHS)
and Chemical Accidents –
V World Social Forum – Porto Alegre
• participation (as observer) OECD Task Force on
Harmonization of Classification and Labelling
meeting (Paris 2005 and Rome 2006)
• Plenary Session and short-course about GHS in
the Brazilian Toxicology Congress (Recife)


Slide 16

Government of Brazil
Ministry of Labour and Employment

Working Group GHS Brazil

• Several meetings of the Sub-groups
• Set up new sub-groups:
Hazardous Wastes
Pesticides
Confidential Industrial Information (CBI)

• Translation to Portuguese of the draft A Guide to
GHS-OSHA/USA (ABIQUIM)
• 1st Pilot GHS Training Course - Rio de Janeiro
(40 h – 5 days) 28 Nov – 2 Dec


Slide 17

Government of Brazil
Ministry of Labour and Employment

Working Group GHS Brazil

• 2006 - First meeting - Brasília
• 1st Governamental Meeting about GHS
Implementation

• Four awareness raising GHS workshops
(Oct – Dec 2006 ) – Rio de Janeiro, Curitiba, Belo
Horizonte and Manaus
• 2nd GHS Training Course (40 h – 5 days) Dec
2006 - Sao Paulo


Slide 18

Government of Brazil
Ministry of Labour and Employment

Working Group GHS Brazil

• Comprehensibility Study Testing on GHS –
Ministry of Health (in process)

• Translation/publication of the Purple Book to
Portuguese – Ministry of Health (in process)
• Dissemination of GHS information through
publications (leaflets, booklets, ...)


Slide 19

Government of Brazil
Ministry of Labour and Employment


Slide 20

Government of Brazil
Ministry of Labour and Employment

2007 - 2008

• Mobilization and training of stakeholders: trade
unions, industry, government, university,
consumers, toxicology centers, professional
associations, ...

• Sectorial studies on the GHS implementation
(health, labour, trade, environment, transport,
pesticides, ....)
• Legislative framework and timeframe for the
GHS implementation (“transitional period”)


Slide 21

Government of Brazil
Ministry of Labour and Employment

2007 - 2008

• Gap Analysis legislation studies
• Discussion for the application of the Building Block
Approach
• Strengthening ongoing activities of the Brazilian
WG-GHS through Mercosur, South America and
international partnerships


Slide 22

Government of Brazil
Ministry of Labour and Employment

2007 - 2008

• Development of the synergies among the
chemical agreements and mechanisms
(SAICM, ILO 170 & 174, Stockholm, Roterdam,
Basel, PRTR, Montreal Protocol,...)
and GHS at national, regional and international
levels

• Production of GHS video - FUNDACENTRO


Slide 23

Government of Brazil
Ministry of Labour and Employment

Gaps

• Low priority
• Lack of awareness of the decision-makers

• Lack of capacity building and training
programmes
- No pilot country in South America
- 2nd South America Workshop (in 2007)
• Lack of human and financial resources


Slide 24

Government of Brazil
Ministry of Labour and Employment

Gaps

• Lack of coordination among sectors
• Difficulties of access chemical databases
• Lack of guidance
• Donor reluctance – restrictive financial situations
and a decrease in funds available from donors

• GHS and SME


Slide 25

Government of Brazil
Ministry of Labour and Employment

GHS is a plataform for the sound
management of Chemicals and it’s
implementation is an important
element for the sustainable
development.


Slide 26

Government of Brazil
Ministry of Labour and Employment

Thanks for your attention!

[email protected]
[email protected]