Experiences with GHS Capacity Building and Implementation in Nigeria

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Experiences with GHS Capacity Building and
Implementation in Nigeria

• PRESENTED
• BY
• NATIONAL GHS SECRETARIAT
• FEDERAL MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, HOUSING URBAN
  DEVELOPMENT, NIGERIA
• MAY 2008

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National Globally Harmonized System of
Classification and Labeling Of Chemicals (GHS)

• BACKGROUND
• The GHS has the ultimate goal of ensuring
  that information on chemical hazards (such on
  labels and safety data sheets) is made available
  to workers and consumers in a harmonized and
  comprehensible format in countries around the
  world.
• Communicating the hazards of chemicals to
  workers and the public is a key foundation for
  protecting human health and the environment.
• Nigeria was supported by the United Nations
  Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), as
  a pilot country to undertake the GHS National
  Capacity Building Project with the overall goal
  of strengthening capacities to implement the GHS
  by the year 2008.

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National Globally Harmonized System of
Classification and Labeling Of Chemicals (GHS)
Project (Contd.)

• The objectives of project are to
• enhance the protection of people and the
  environment by providing an internationally
  comprehensive system for chemical hazard
  communication
• provide a recognized framework for those
  countries without an existing system
• reduce the need for duplicative testing and
  evaluation of chemicals and
• facilitate international trade in chemicals
  whose hazards have been properly assessed and
  identified on an international basis.

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PROJECT ACTIVITIES

• i. Preparatory Phase
• Establishment of a National GHS Implementation
  Committee (NGIC) for the purpose of advising in
  matters of project implementation and drafting
  laws/regulations with the Federal Ministry of
  Environment, Housing Urban Development (FMEHUD)
  as the National Project Coordinator and
  Secretariat.

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PROJECT ACTIVITIES (Contd.)

• Composition of Committee
• Federal Ministries of Environment, Housing
  Urban Development, Health, Labour, Agriculture
  Water Resources, Transportation, Commerce
  Industry, Justice, Finance, Foreign Affairs,
• Nigerian Customs
• National Environmental Standards Enforcement
  Regulatory Agency (NESREA), National Agency for
  Food Drug Administration Control (NAFDAC),
  Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Consumer
  Protection Council (CPC), Institute of Public
  Analysts of Nigeria (IPAN), Basel Convention
  Regional Coordinating Centre, Federal Road Safety
  Commission, Nigerian Red Cross Society,
  Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN),
  Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety
  Authority (NIMASA), National Planning Commission
  (NPC), Institute of Chartered Chemists of Nigeria
  (ICCON), CROP-Life Nigeria, NGO and media
  representatives.

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PROJECT ACTIVITIES (Contd.)

• Lead government Ministries were designated for
  each of the four GHS sectors made up of
  transport, industrial production, agriculture and
  consumer products.
• Lead Actors were also designated for capacity
  building activities within the three major GHS
  groups

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PROJECT ACTIVITIES (Contd.)

• Phase 1 Situation/Gap Analysis May September
  2005) This described the existing national
  chemicals hazard communication infrastructure
• Major activities - review of the existing
  national profile on chemicals management
  infrastructure through multi- stakeholders
  involvement
• - comprehensibility test
• Major gaps identified include
• Lack of national legislation for GHS
  implementation.
• No clear ministerial responsibilities provided by
  the existing legal framework to cover all four
  sectors of GHS,
• The current institutional arrangements do not
  ensure clear responsibilities across relevant
  government ministries with resultant overlaps of
  functions within the different sectors.
• Very low level knowledge of government personnel
  on the legal and technical aspects of GHS
  implementation for industrial production
• Inadequate funding to ensure appropriate
  government action in facilitating necessary
  regulatory reforms and initiatives
• Lack of necessary capacity for effective
  enforcement of relevant national regulations on
  chemical hazard communication based on the GHS
  for industrial workplace.

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Project activities - Recommendations

• establishment of chemical pollution response and
  poison-control centers through the ecological
  funds,in all the six geopolitical zones
• Delineation of functions and streamlining of
  mandates among the various ministries/agencies
  regulating chemicals
• establishment of a platform for cooperation and
  coordination of activities amongst the key
  ministries and agencies regulating chemicals at
  the highest level of Authority,
• Fostering of synergies and partnerships among the
  relevant regulatory and civil societies
• simplify and translate GHS and SDS into different
  local languages at the national level
• display of hazard communication elements as
  appropriate
• reduce the Comprehensibility Testing timing by
  drastically amending the questionnaire

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Phase 2 Targeted GHS Capacity Development

• a. National GHS Awareness Raising/Training
  Workshop to raise awareness about the GHS
  amongst stakeholders groups and develop elements
  of the National Strategy for GHS Implementation,
  consistent with national circumstances and
  priorities
• Recommendations
• Development of a harmonized GHS-compliant
  National Guidelines and National legislation that
  are amendable to national circumstances to
  replace the numerous sectoral legislations on
  chemicals.
• Regulatory agencies like the customs service
  should be empowered through training programme,
  capacity building, etc to enforce GHS-compliant
  labels and hazard communication on
  imported/exported products
• b. Development of Draft GHS Implementing
  Legislation
• Appointment of a legal consultant by the Federal
  Ministry of Environment, Housing and Urban
  Development to produce a Harmonized Hazardous
  Chemicals Bill

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Phase 2 (Contd.)

• Capacity Building and Strategy Development in
  Industry
• Recommendations -
•  i. Advocacy visits be embarked on, to the
  management staff of industrial facilities to
  sensitize them about GHS and seek their support
  for its implementation at facility level.
• ii.  The sectoral self-monitoring mechanism in
  industries should be broadened to include
  Organization of Safety Health and Environment
  (SHE) Week, GHS Comprehensibility Testing,
  assessment of GHS Compliance and grant of
  incentives through award of laurels for excellent
  performance, as part of sectoral Programmes.
• iii.SHE Monitoring Systems be established at
  factory level, as part of safety assurance
  mechanism
• Capacity Building and Strategy Development in the
  Civil society Groups
• Recommendations
• i. Civil Societies should embark upon independent
  data generation on Chemical management, with
  technical and financial supports from the
  Government and International organizations like
  UNITAR, etc.
• ii. Licensing of Chemical dealers and training of
  staff should be introduced as requirements for
  dealing in sale of chemicals in Nigeria
• iii. Enforcement mechanism and collaboration be
  strengthened among regulatory bodies, while
  concerted efforts be made to make GHS
  Implementation achievable by year 2008

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Phase 3 Development of a Strategic Plan (Road
Map) for National GHS Implementation by 2008

• Major activities
• -   Organization of a National Review Workshop on
  GHS Implementation Strategy and Harmonized
  National Chemicals Management Legislation held
  in Abuja-Nigeria, from 24 26 July, 2007.
• -   Convene of the Core Group of technical and
  legal experts to further review the draft
  Chemical management bill held in Abuja on 13th
  September 2007.

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Phase 3 (contd)

• Recommendations
• - Training/education, seminars, workshops,
  symposia for sectoral stakeholders to step up
  awareness on chemical safety and GHS
• - Strengthening of enforcement mechanism and
  collaboration among regulatory bodies
• - The harmonized legislation on chemicals
  management in Nigeria should be developed as a
  matter of urgency
• --- Funding mechanism should be devised for
  sustainable financing of the National GHS
  Implementation Strategy within the four major
  sectors and all relevant actors in the
  realization of sound national chemicals
  management and protection of the Nigerian
  environment and citizenry.

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Results/ Gains

• - Improved coordinating mechanisms within the
  chemicals management
• infrastructure through the active role of the
  National GHS implementation
• Committee comprising representatives of relevant
  ministries and
• stakeholder groups
• - Identification of gaps in chemicals management
  infrastructure
• - Integration of sectoral stakeholders into the
  national decision making process at every stage
  of the national GHS project implementation.
•  
• - Ownership of project by stakeholders, which
  facilitated mobilization of support and
  catalyzing of partnerships for, coordinated
  national activities in chemicals management and
  awareness raising and capacity development for
  sound national chemicals management amongst
  sectoral stakeholders.
•  
• - Drafting of a Comprehensive National Chemicals
  Management Legislation
• - Adoption of a Resolution of Commitment among
  national stakeholders
•  
• - Adoption of the National Implementation
  Strategy
•  
•  

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Overview of the National Implementation Strategy

• Purpose Developed to provide a basis to
  implement the GHS in Nigeria. The Strategy
  serves as a framework within which all
  stakeholders can play their appropriate roles in
  the implementation of the GHS.
• Scope Addresses the gaps identified in the
  present system of classification and
  communication of hazardous chemicals in Nigeria
  in order to comply with all the requirements of
  the GHS.
• Defines and provides details on the objectives,
  activities, responsibilities, timeframes and an
  indication of associated resources required for
  its implementation.
• Contains typical elements of chemicals management
  system such as legislation, institutional
  matters, training, awareness raising, and
  technical infrastructure.

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Overview of NIS Contd.

• Principles Based on the following key
  principles
•    An integrated life-cycle approach
•    Harmonisation across the value chain and
• Using comprehensive and harmonized chemical
  management legislation as the overarching
  instrument for GHS implementation, in Nigeria.
• Main objectives
• - An approach to provide for the full
  implementation of the GHS in Nigeria by 2008
• - Ensure an integrated life-cycle approach which
  will be harmonised across the chemicals value
  chain
• - Ensure continued alignment with international
  trends in the further development of the GHS and
• - Ensure that national law prescribes compliance
  with the GHS requirements.

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Overview of NIS contd.

• Benefits
• Protection of the citizenry against incessant
  incidences of chemical-related illness and
  injuries,
• Realization of voluntary compliance among
  chemical users  
• Strengthening of legal, administrative and
  enforcement frameworks to meet the exigency of
  the time.
• Well-informed citizenry in chemicals hazard
  communication signs and symbols.
• Basis for the Strategy and Implementation
  Activities The NIS is based on the findings of
  the Situation and the Gap Analysis with
  identification and assessment of implementation
  issues and options.
• Identification of implementation activities were
  then based on assessment.
• Activities were structured within a framework of
  the typical elements of a chemicals management
  system, and incorporated in the sectoral
  work-plan prepared by stakeholders according to
  the four sectors affected by the GHS i.e.
  Agriculture, Transport, Industrial workplace and
  consumer products

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DRAFT CHEMICALS MANAGEMENT BILL WITH GHS
REQUIREMENTS

• Designed to use existing organizational
  infrastructure under the Federal
• Ministry of Environment, Housing Urban
  Development (FMEHUD)
• towards
• Providing for a co-coordinated approach towards
  sound chemicals management by properly defining
  roles and mechanisms for feedbacks, information
  sharing, data management etc.
• Making provision for effective enforcement of
  chemicals legislations by carrying along all the
  relevant regulatory agencies in a co-ordinated
  manner.
• Allowing for the issuance of National Regulations
  and Standards on various aspects of Chemicals
  Management e.g. Classification of Chemicals,
  Labeling, Packaging, Safety Data Sheets, Register
  of Employees, Advertisement, Transport and
  Storage etc.
• Allowing for the domestication of the GHS
  provisions and models through the input of all
  stakeholders.

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Challenges to GHS capacity building and
implementation

• Inadequate funding
• Appropriate Legislative framework with GHS
  requirements
• Efficient coordianting mechanisms among key
  actors and sectors for the GHS
• Massive buy-in by all stakeholders into the
  immense benefits offered by the GHS.
• mainstreaming the GHS as a key and basic tool in
  protecting the environment and citizenry from the
  adverse effects of improper handling of hazardous
  chemicals  
• Strengthening partnerships and ensuring coherence
  in national chemicals management framework
  through the adopted NIS

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CONCLUSION

• The gain from the success of the GHS Project is
  the initiation and development of targeted
  actions/programmes for GHS implementation within
  the public and private sectors and for active
  participation of civil society/ labour
  organizations
• This has also been very useful in raising
  awareness on chemicals hazard communication
  including its potential benefits for sustainable
  development.
• There is however an urgent need to give priority
  to strengthening capacity for effective GHS
  implementation within the agriculture and
  transportation sectors whihc are yet to be
  covered.

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Thank You for Listening.