G/TBT/W/648  
4 July 2019 
(19-4483) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original:  Spanish  
 
  
CHILE - REGULATIONS ON THE CLASSIFICATION, LABELLING AND NOTIFICATION  
OF CHEMICAL SUBSTANCES AND MIXTURES  
STATEMENT BY CHILE TO THE COMMITTEE ON TECHNICAL BARRIERS TO TRADE  
20 AND  21 JUNE  2019 
The following communica tion, dated  4 July 2019, is being circulated at the request of the delega tion 
of Chile. 
 
_______________  
 
 
1.  In 1992, the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, considering the 
relevance of the global management of chemical safety, agreed on the creation  of a harmonized 
system  on the basis of existing approaches in various countries.  
2.  The Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals ( GHS) is a system 
for the classification and labelling of chemical substances , defining physical hazard methodologies 
and thresholds  on the basis of the  dangers  they present for health and the environment . Its purpose 
is to harmonize the classification and labe lling of hazardous  chemical substances  in order , inter alia , 
to enhanc e the coherence a nd comprehension of hazard information, improv e the transparency  of 
international trade, and reduc e inconsistencies.  
3.  In 2011, it was decided that the Ministry of Health in Chile would be the coordinating institution . 
In that context , in 2012, a National Coordinating Committee for the Implementation of the GHS in 
Chile was convened , composed of representatives of the public and private sectors  and 
non-governmental organiza tions. During the following years , the Committee worked on 
dissemination , awareness -raising and training with regard to the GHS, in the public  and private 
sectors, identifying  the relevant actors who were to be part of the implementation process.  
4.  Meanwhile , after Chile joined the OECD in 2010, our country entered into a series of commitments 
regarding  chemical substances . In order to fulfil them, the Programme for the Management of 
Chemical Substances for Industrial Use was developed in 2016, and w as approved by the Council  of 
Ministers  for Sustainability  in May 2017. This programme, devised by the Ministry  of Health and the 
Ministry  of the Environment , is based on the GHS and establish es proce dures  for the notification of  
substances imported into and produced in Chile, and for the assessment  of risks  for priority 
substances.  
5.  In 2017, draft regulations relating to the GHS were drawn up . These were first  submitted to the 
Coordinating Committee and then for public  consultation  at the national level , published on the 
Ministry  of Health's website, and at the  international level, through the Directorate -General for 
International Economic Relations (DIRECON) at the Ministry  of Foreign Affairs . This process took 
place from 7 November  2017 to 8 January  2018, with a total of 761 comments received, which were 
reviewed by professionals  at the Ministry of Health and the Ministry  of the Environment and by the 
members of the Coordinating  Committee.  
6.  In general  terms , the draft regulations establish th e scope  of application , responsibilities, classes 
and categories  of hazards  (physical, health and environment al hazards ); criteria for the classification 
of substances and mixtures ; requirements  for labelling ; format and sections for safety data sheets ; 
the notification system  to be implemented by the State; and the obligation to conduct  risk 
assessment s for certain substances, to be defined  in an instrument following publication of these G/TBT/W/648  
- 2 - 
  regulations . Monitoring and enforcement  of these regulations will be the responsibility of  the 
Regional Ministerial Secretariat s (SEREMI s) for Health , in accordance with the terms of the Health 
Code (decree with force of law).  
7.  The regulations establish deferred implementation  deadlines , startin g with substances  for 
industrial use (one year after publication ), substances  for non-industrial use (two years), mixtures 
for industrial use (four years), and mixtures for non-industrial use (six years) . In addition, 
notification s will take effect two yea rs after entry  into force of the regulations, in accord ance with 
the deadline for each type of use of the substances, as described  above . 
8.  Once the GHS regulations have been approved , the various ministries  will need to make 
amendments to  specific sectoral regulations to standardize criteria and thereby reduc e duplication 
of regulations.  
9.  Even though the draft GHS regulations have been revised several  times  by the legal departments  
of the Ministry  of Health and the Ministry  of the Environme nt, their latest version was sent to  the 
Secretariat -General of the Presidency (SEGPRES)  for review in April 2019 in order t o meet the 
June 2019 deadline for submission of the regulations  to the Office of the Comptroller -General (CGR) 
and to be able to rep ort on this milestone  at the OECD meeting of 6 June. 
10.  However, in connection with the above, the SEGPRES revi ew gave rise to new comments, which 
are being evaluated by the Environmental Health Department at the Ministry  of Health . This will be 
followed by a  further review by the legal divisions of both ministries , referr al back to SEGPRES , 
signature by the President and dispatch to the CGR. In other words, the internal formalities  for 
publication have not yet been completed.  
11.  Furthermore, according to the information  provided by the International  Affairs Office at the 
Ministry  of the Environment regarding the meeting with the OECD Chemicals Committee in France 
on 6 June, at which Chile presented  the fourth post -access report to the OECD, the aforementioned 
committee asked, inter alia, for the GHS regulations  to be published no  later than the second  half of 
2019. For this reason , work is being done to respond to the comments by SEGPRES and to send the 
above -mentioned regulations as soon as po ssible to the CGR.  
12.  It is absolutely essential that the Ministry of Health approve these regulations since this will 
contribute to improv ing the protection of human  health , both for workers w ho handle  hazardous  
substances and for the general  public , since this system will make it possible to provide a greater 
amount of clear information on hazards and the precautions to be taken when  using these 
substances . 
13.  Moreover, the system will make it possible  to generate detailed information on the classes of  
hazardous  substances handled  in the country, and this will enable  progress to be made in risk 
assessments for the various  identified uses and priorit y to be given to regulati ng substances likely 
to have a major impact on the mo st vulnerable population  groups (for example , children).  
14.  Regarding implementation with respect to  domestic hygienic and cleaning products , the majority  
are probably low-risk and are therefore not classified  under  the GHS and the regulations do not 
apply to them . However, for those that are classified , it is important to provide information  to the 
user and the only way is through labelling . The information to be provided is clearly open to 
discussion  but the United Nations ' objective  in establishing this classification and labe lling system 
was to achieve harmonization  between countries . 
15.  Lastly, I would like to mention  that the GHS National Committee met again this week, with 
industry participation, and it will also be working on the implementation  of these regulations.  
_________ _