BIH: 7 Common Mistakes on Chemical Labels – How Many Do You Make?

Your clients are happiest when you do your job well.

By communicating with them and providing information not always related to sales and invoices, you show that you care. One way to communicate with customers is by preparing appropriate declarations or labels.

Here is a list of the seven most common mistakes in labeling hazardous chemicals that we can observe in all chemical stores.

Recognizing and correcting these mistakes will earn your clients' trust.

First mistake: Labels are made solely for marketing purposes, neglecting the mandatory, legally required content.

Of course, it's fine to include marketing content on the label. However, keep in mind that you must also include the necessary prescribed elements, such as hazard pictograms, hazard statements, and precautionary statements. You will find this information in the safety data sheet.

By including both types of information on the label, you inform the customer of potential hazards (not just benefits) before using the product.

Second mistake: Different names are used on the label and the safety data sheet for the same product.

We understand that it's important to use words that sell the product for marketing and sales purposes. The product name is certainly something companies spend a lot of time on. But the focus is mainly on increasing sales.

Here you need to be careful. If you decide to change the product name to make it more attractive for sale, you must also change the trade name in the safety data sheet, and consequently, on the label.

Third mistake: Black and white GHS pictograms are used instead of colored pictograms.

The reason for this decision is often the thought that black and white pictograms don't stand out as well as colored ones. This is again a sales-oriented mindset that will get you into trouble.

It's clear that colored pictograms stand out, or are more prominent compared to the rest of the label, much more than black and white pictograms. This allows the customer to more easily notice the hazard indicated by the pictograms.

Therefore, you must use only the officially prescribed colored GHS pictograms.

Fourth mistake: The text on the label is too small to read.

What do you do when you have limited space and don't want to delete any part of the text? Probably, like most people, you first try a smaller font. The same goes for chemical labels.

There's nothing wrong with using a smaller font, as long as the text is still readable.

So, if you and most of your colleagues can read the label from a distance of 20 to 30 cm from the eyes, then the font size is appropriate. In our experience, the font size should be at least 6.

Fifth mistake: The size of the GHS pictograms is too small.

The second most common solution in finding additional space on labels is reducing the size of GHS pictograms.

Thinking along the lines of “just as long as they're on the label” is not good. The presence of pictograms is not enough; their size is also important. The minimum dimensions for pictograms on packaging up to 3 liters are 10 x 10 mm and, if possible, 16 x 16 mm.

You must ensure that the dimensions of the pictograms used match your packaging.

Sixth mistake: The text is oriented horizontally on a product that is positioned vertically.

Customers must be able to read the label on the product on the shelf without turning their heads 90 degrees.

This is not an arbitrary opinion but something that the regulations on the classification and labeling of chemicals require of you. Here is what is prescribed:

“The label is firmly attached to one or more surfaces of the packaging in which the substance or mixture is directly placed so that the data can be read horizontally when the package is laid in its usual position.”

Seventh mistake: The names of hazardous substances are not translated into the local language.

It may sound like an exaggeration, but a product can be withdrawn from the market just because of this small detail.

You must ensure that the names of hazardous substances are translated into the language of the country where you sell the chemicals.

Using international or English names is simply not enough.

Now that you've read the list, it's only logical to ask you...

Which of these mistakes are you making?