Labeling

NPCA's Product Stewardship Committee currently offers the Fifth Edition of its Paint Industry Labeling Guide to its membership. A supplement to the Fifth Edition was published in 2005. The Labeling Guide is an invaluable resource to paint and coatings industry product stewards and other employees who perform regulatory compliance duties. In addition to the Labeling Guide, NPCA continues to monitor developments related to the United Nation's Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling (GHS).

The GHS is a global classification and labeling system created by the UN to finally harmonize both industrial and consumer labeling all over the world. The system works by using a set of universal icons that have been created specifically for the GHS. The benefits of a harmonized labeling system are significant. Manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, retailers, and consumers in any part of the world would be able to look at a product container and know what the potential hazards are to human and environmental health. NPCA fully supports the GHS, and is working to encourage various U.S. government agencies, including the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Department of Transportation (DOT), and Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to adopt the GHS soon.