CATCH
Under the 11th Malaysia Plan (RMK-11), Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) is taking lead on the High Value-added and Complex Product Development Programme. As chemical trading is playing an important role in Malaysia’s economic growth, hence under RMK-11, MITI has embarked on a project entitled ‘Globally Harmonised System of Classification – Chemical Industry’. The project objectives are:
- To facilitate import and export of chemicals;
- To enhance compliance of CLASS Regulations 2013 – Occupational Safety and Health (Classification, Labelling and Safety Data Sheet of Hazardous Chemicals) Regulations 2013; and
- To Provide technical asistance to SME(Small and Medium Enterprise) particularly on chemical mixture classification.
The main output of the project is to develop ‘GHS Software for Chemical Mixture’. The GHS (Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals) is an international system developed by United Nations Sub-Committee of Experts on the GHS (UNSCEGHS). It is a voluntary system that anticipated to:
- enhance the protection of human health and the environment by providing an internationally comprehensive system for hazard communication;
- provide a recognised framework for those countries without an existing system;
- reduced the need for testing and evaluation of chemicals; and
- facilitate international trade in chemicals whose hazards have been properly assessed and identified on an international basis.
The GHS Software for Chemical Mixture – also known as ‘Classification Tool for Chemical Mixture (CATCH)’ developed under this project is expected to address both GHS purple book (6th revised edition) and the CLASS Regulations 2013. Due to the technical limitation, this software will not cover physical hazards. The software will only cover health and environmental hazards in both GHS purple book (6th revised edition) and the CLASS Regulations 2013. MITI has appointed Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM, National University of Malaysia) to develop the GHS software for chemical mixture.
CATCH is accessible at https://catch.ukm.my/