Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene (한국산업보건학회지)

Korean Industrial Hygiene Association (한국산업보건학회)
권호 표지

Analysis on the Legal Control Levels and GHS Classification Information Status for Strongly Acidic Hazardous Materials

강산성 유해화학물질의 법적관리 수준 및 GHS 분류정보 제공 실태분석 연구

  • Lee, Kwon Seob (Occupational Safety & Health Research Institute, Korea Occupational Safety & Health Agency) ;
  • Jo, Ji Hoon (Occupational Safety & Health Research Institute, Korea Occupational Safety & Health Agency) ;
  • Park, Jin Woo (Occupational Safety & Health Research Institute, Korea Occupational Safety & Health Agency) ;
  • Song, Se Wook (Occupational Safety & Health Research Institute, Korea Occupational Safety & Health Agency)
  • 이권섭 (한국산업안전보건공단 산업안전보건연구원) ;
  • 조지훈 (한국산업안전보건공단 산업안전보건연구원) ;
  • 박진우 (한국산업안전보건공단 산업안전보건연구원) ;
  • 송세욱 (한국산업안전보건공단 산업안전보건연구원)
  • Received : 2013.11.12
  • Accepted : 2013.12.10
  • Published : 2013.12.31
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Abstract

Objective: This study inspected incident cases, legal control levels, and GHS(Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals) classification results of strong acids such as hydrogen fluoride, hydrogen chloride, nitric acid, and sulfuric acid, which have been responsible for many recent chemical accidents. As a result, it is deemed necessary for legal control levels of these strong acids to be revised and GHS classification be managed nation-wide. Methods: This study inspected incident cases and legal control levels for strong acids such as hydrogen fluoride, hydrogen chloride, nitric acid, and sulfuric acid. The study analyzed and compared chemical information status and GHS classification results. Results: There were 76 domestic incidents involving strongly acidic hazardous materials over the five years between 2007 and 2011. They include 37 leakage incidents(46.7%) within a workplace, 30 leakage incidents(39.5%) during transportation, and nine leakage incidents(13.8%) following an explosion. The strongly acidic materials in question are defined and controlled as toxic chemicals according to the classes of Substances Requiring Preparation for Accidents, Managed Hazardous Substance, Hazardous Chemical(corrosive) as set forth under the Enforcement Decree of the Toxic Chemicals Control Act and Rules on Occupational Safety and Health Standards of Occupational Safety and Health Act. Among them, nitric acid is solely controlled as a class 6 hazardous material, oxidizing liquid, under the Hazardous Chemicals Control Act. The classification results of the EU ECHA(European Chemicals Agency) CLP(Commission Regulation(EC) No. 790/2009 of 10 August 2009, for the purposes of its adaptation to technical and scientific progress, Regulation(EC) No 1272/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council on classification, labeling and packaging of substances and mixtures) and NIER (National Institute of Environmental Research) are almost identical for the three chemicals, with the exception of sulfuric acid. Much of the classification information of NITE (National Institute of Technology and Evaluation) and KOSHA(Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency, KOSHA) is the same. NIER provides 12(41.4%) out of 29 classifications, as does KOSHA.

Keywords

References

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