Chemicals can be very dangerous, and as with any hazardous item, it's important to label chemicals and other substances clearly so that people can identify possible risks.

For instance, if a substance is highly flammable, you should use the appropriate sign or label to make this clear to all.

What does the law say about labelling hazardous chemicals?

Chemical label requirements vary from one country to the next, but here in Britain, the law is currently based on European Regulation No. 1272/2008 (also known as the CLP regulation - CLP stands for 'classification, labelling and packaging'). In England, Wales and Scotland, this regulation is primarily enforced by the HSE (Health & Safety Executive).

Here's what the HSE website has to say about labelling hazardous chemicals:

"Some chemicals need more careful handling than others. Labels can help you identify the more hazardous chemicals, tell you what the hazards are and how to avoid them...where the supplier does conclude that a chemical could cause harm, they are expected to provide information about this on the label...chemical suppliers must use [specific symbols and warnings] where hazardous properties have been identified."

If you are a supplier/manufacturer of potentially hazardous chemicals, it is your duty to label these goods using the appropriate pictograms. Under the CLP regulation, the UK and all other EU member states use the UN's Globally Harmonised System (GHS) to label hazardous chemicals. Standard GHS labels look like this:

These labels and their symbols are recognised internationally, and so all hazardous substances you supply should feature these pictograms as necessary. GHS classifications are explained here.

(Of course, the law may be subject to change when the UK leaves the European Union in March 2019, but given that the GHS is used all over the world - and not just in the EU - there is a good chance that the requirements for chemical labels in this country will remain more or less the same post-Brexit. 

Buy GHS labels >

Here at Label Source, we sell a huge variety of chemical hazard labels and signs bearing GHS-compliant pictograms and warnings. No matter what sort of chemicals you need to label, we can provide a suitable solution - click here to browse all chemical labels and signs.

If you are around hazardous materials, it’s important that everything is correctly labelled to ensure everyone’s safety. Luckily, here at Label Source, we have a huge selection of products that enable you to correctly label any chemical.

There are plenty of different reasons why chemicals need labelling, so here are some of the products we offer. We’ll also cover why hazardous chemical labels are important, as well as the laws you need to know. More...