W
D  
 ICS 71.100  
 
Reference number  
DRS 491 : 2022 
© RSB 2022 
  
 RWANDA 
STANDARD  DRS 
491  
 
First edition  
2022-mm-dd 
Labelling of chemicals — Requirements  
   
DRS 491 : 2022 
ii            
    ©RSB 2022 - All rights reserved  
 In order to match with technological development and to keep continuous progress in industries, 
standards are subject to periodic review. Users shall ascertain that they are in possession of the latest 
editio n 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
© RSB 2022 
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized 
in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm, without 
prior written permission from RSB.  
Requests for permission to reproduce this document should be addressed to:  
Rwanda Standards Board  
P.O Box 7099 Kigali -Rwanda  
KK 15 Rd, 49  
Tel. +250 788303492  
Toll Free: 3250  
E-mail: info@rsb.gov.r w 
Website: www.rsb.gov.rw  
ePortal: www.portal.rsb.gov.rw   DRS 491 : 2022 
iii            
    ©RSB 2022 - All rights reserved  
 Contents  Page 
 
Contents  
1 Scope  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .............  1 
2 Normative references  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................  1 
3 Terms and definitions  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..................  1 
4 Labelling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ........  4 
 
 
 DRS 491 : 2022 
iv            
    ©RSB 2022 - All rights reserved  
 Foreword  
Rwanda Standards are prepared by Technical Committees and approved by Rwanda Standards Board (RSB) 
Board of Directors in accordance with the procedures of RSB, in compliance with Annex 3 of the WTO/TBT 
agreement on the preparation, adoption and application of standards.  
The main task of technical committees is to prepare national standards. Final Draft Rwanda Standards adopted 
by technical committees are ratified by members of RSB Board of Directors for publication and gazettment as 
Rwanda Standards.  
DRS 491  was prepared by Technical Committee RSB/TC 024, Organic and inorganic chemicals . 
Committee membership  
The following organizations were represented on the Technical Committee on Organic and inorganic chemicals  
(RSB/TC 024) in the preparation of this standard.  
University of Rwanda -College of Science and Technology (UR -CST)  
University of Rwanda -College of Education (UR -CE) 
Rwanda Inspectorate, Competition and Consumer protection Authority (RICA)  
Rwanda Forensic Laboratory (RFL)  
Standards for Sustainability (SFS)  
HORIZON - SOPYRWA  
National Industrial Research and Development Agency (NIRDA)  
Uburanga Products Ltd  
 
Rwanda Standards Board (RSB) – Secretariat  DRS 491 : 2022 
v            
    ©RSB 2022 - All rights reserved  
 Introduction  
The production and use of chemicals are fundamental factors in the economic development of all countries, 
whether they are industrialized or developing. In one way or another, chemicals affect directly or indirectly the 
lives of all humans and are essential to our feeding (fertilizers, pesticides, food additives, packing), our health 
(pharmaceuticals, cleaning materials), or our well -being (appliances, fuels, etc).  
The most esse ntial step leading to safe use of chemicals is to know their identity, their hazards to health and 
the environment and the means to control them. This knowledge should be available with reasonable effort and 
cost. Furthermore, this inherently complex knowl edge must be organized in such a way that essential 
information on the hazards and corresponding protective measures can be identified and conveyed to the user 
in a form that is easy to understand.  
United Nations' Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS)  provides a 
harmonised basis for globally uniform physical, environmental, and health and safety information on hazardous 
chemical substances and mixtures. It sets up criteria for the classification of chemicals for physical -chemical, 
health, and environmental hazards of chemical substances and mixtures.  
To alert users to the health and env ironmental  hazards of chemicals , it is recommended to use safety labels on 
packaging of these products. These labels also inform users of the precautions to take to  safely handle, 
store  and dispose  of the chemicals.  
Labelling of chemicals is based on their classification, which involves determining the hazard category to which 
the chemical belongs and assigning a cod ified regulatory phrase describing the type of hazard . 
 DRS 491 :2022 
1            
    ©RSB 2022 - All rights reserved  
 Labelling of chemicals — Requirements  
1 Scope  
This Draft Rwanda Standard specifies the requirements for the labelling of chemicals.  
It applies to pure substances and their dilute solutions and to mixtures, to  hazardous substance or mixture 
includes pictograms, signal words, hazard s tatements, precautionary statements, and supplemental statements.  
It does not include requirements for testing substances or mixtures.  
It does not apply to medical or veterinary products, cosmetics, munitions or explosives, pesticides, waste and 
foodstuffs  or animal feedstuffs in the finished stage.  
2 Normative references  
There are no normative references in this document . 
3 Terms and definitions  
For the purposes of this standard, the following terms and definitions apply.  
3.1 
chemical identity  
a name that will uniquely identify a chemical.  
3.2  
chemically unstable gas  
A flammable gas that is able to react explosively even in the absence of air or oxygen  
3.3 
compressed gas  
a gas which when packaged under pressure is entirely g aseous at -50ºC; including all gases with a critical 
temperature ≤ -50ºC  
3.4 
corrosive to metal  
a substance or a mixture which by chemical action will material ly damage, or even destroy, metals  DRS 491 :2022 
2            
    ©RSB 2022 - All rights reserved  
 3.5 
critical temperature  
the temperature above which a pure gas cannot be liquefied regardless of the degree of compression;  
3.6  
dissolved gas  
a gas which when packaged under pressure is dissolved in a liquid phase solvent;  
3.7 
explosive substance  
A solid or liquid substance (or a mixture of substances) which  is in itself capable by chemical reaction of 
producing gas at such a temperature and pressure and at such a speed as to cause damage to the 
surroundings. Pyrotechnic substances are included even when they do not evolve gases;  
3.8 
flammable gas  
a gas havin g a flammable range with air at 20 ºC and  a standard pressure of 101.3 kPa;  
3.9 
flammable liquid  
a liquid having a flash point of not more than 93 ºC 
3.10 
flammable solid  
a solid which is readily combustible, or may cause or contribute to fire through friction  
3.11 
hazard category  
the division of criteria within each hazard class, e.g. oral  acute toxicity includes five hazard categories and 
flammable liquids includes four hazard categories. These categories compare hazard severity within a hazar d 
class and should not be taken as a comparison of hazard categories more generally;  
3.12 
hazard class  
the nature of the physical, health or environmental hazard, e.g. flammable solid, carcinogen, oral acute toxicity  DRS 491 :2022 
3            
    ©RSB 2022 - All rights reserved  
 3.13 
hazard statement  
a statement assigned to a hazard class and category that describes the nat ure of the hazards of a hazardous 
product, including where appropriate the degree of hazard;  
3.14 
label  
an appropriate group of written, printed or graphic information elements concern ing a hazardous product, 
selected as relevant to the target sector(s), that is affixed to, printed on, or attached to the immediate container 
of a hazardous product, or to the outside packaging of a hazardous product;  
3.15 
mixture  
solution composed of two or more substances in which they do not react  
3.16 
pictogram  
a graphical composition that may include a symbol plus other graphic elements such as a border, background 
pattern or colour that is intended to convey specific information;  
3.17 
precautionary st atement  
a phrase (and /or pictogram) that describes recommended measures that should be taken to minimize or prevent 
adverse effects resulting from exposure to a hazardous product, or improper storage or handling of a hazardous 
product;  
3.18 
signal word  
a word used to indicate the relative level of severity of hazard and alert the reader to a potential hazard on the 
label. The GHS uses “Danger” and “Warning” as signal words;  
3.19 
substance  
chemical elements and their compounds in the natural state or obtain ed by any production process, including 
any additive necessary to preserve the stability of the product and any impurities deriving from the process 
used, but excluding  any solvent which may be separated without affecting the stability of the substance or 
changing its composition;  DRS 491 :2022 
4            
    ©RSB 2022 - All rights reserved  
 4 Labelling  
Chemicals shall be labelled in accordance with the latest version of “Globally harmonized system of 
classification and labelling of chemicals (GHS) ” of the United Nations.  
 DRS 491 :2022 
5            
    ©RSB 2022 - All rights reserved  
 Bibliography  
[1] Globally Harmonization System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals , GHS.  
 
 DRS 491: 2022  
 
Price based on  nnn pages  
©RSB 2022  - All right s reserved