How are Product Hazard Ratings assigned?

This guidance article explains how Product Hazard Ratings (PHRs) are assigned to chemical products in the RBA's Chemical Platform based on data derived from Safety Data Sheets (SDSs), in accordance with the standardized Facility Risk Rating Methodology of the Chemical Platform. For full details on this methodology, please reference the guidance article ‘How are Facility Risk Ratings calculated?’.

When a SDS of a chemical product is uploaded to the Chemical Inventory of a facility in the Chemical Platform, it is automatically parsed to capture key data points (e.g., H-Codes from Section 2, CAS numbers from Section 3) and assign a Product Hazard Rating to the chemical product.

The process of assigning PHRs based on SDS data is depicted in the flowchart below:

PHRs are based on formulation-level hazard data derived from UN Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS)5F and EU Classification, Labelling and Packaging of Chemicals (CLP) information disclosed in chemical products’ SDSs and ingredient-level hazard data derived from ChemFORWARD Hazard Band ratings based on comprehensive, best-in-class chemical hazard assessments (CHAs). Using codified UN GHS and EU CLP hazard statements (H-codes) contained in Section 2: Hazard Identification of SDSs, formulation-level hazards are assigned hazard ratings of ‘Very Low’ through ‘Very High’ (quantified as ‘1’ through ‘5’) based on Table 1. Using substance CAS numbers contained in Section 3: Composition/Information on Ingredients of SDSs, ingredient-level hazards are assigned hazard ratings of ‘Very Low’ through ‘Very High’ (quantified as ‘1’ through ‘5’) using ChemFORWARD Hazard Band ratings based on Table 2. The highest hazard rating between all formulation-level hazard ratings and all ingredient-level hazard ratings is assigned as the PHR of the chemical product.

Table 1: Formulation-level Hazard Ratings

Hazard Class	Hazard Category, Sub-Category	H-Codes*	Hazard Rating
Explosives	Divisions 1.1, 1.2, 1.3	H201, H202, H203	Moderate
Explosives	Division 1.4	H204	Low
Explosives	Division 1.5	H205	Very Low
Explosives	Unstable Explosive	H200	High
Flammable gases	Category 1, 1A (incl. pyrophoric gas, chemically unstable gas A/B)	H220, H230, H231, H232	High
Flammable gases	Category 1B	H221	Moderate
Flammable gases	Category 2	H221	Low
Aerosols	Categories 1, 2	H222, H223, H229	Moderate
Aerosols	Category 3	H229	Low
Gases under pressure	Compressed, dissolved, liquefied, or refrigerated liquefied gas	H280, H281	Low
Flammable liquids	Category 1	H224	High
Flammable liquids	Category 2	H225	Moderate
Flammable liquids	Category 3	H226	Low
Flammable liquids	Category 4	H227	Very Low
Flammable solids	Category 1	H228	Moderate
Flammable solids	Category 2	H228	Low
Self-reactive substances and mixtures; Organic peroxides	Types A, B	H240, H241	High
Self-reactive substances and mixtures; Organic peroxides	Types C, D	H242	Moderate
Self-reactive substances and mixtures; Organic peroxides	Types E, F	H242	Low
Pyrophoric liquids and solids	Category 1	H250	Moderate
Self-heating substances and mixtures	Category 1	H251	Moderate
Self-heating substances and mixtures	Category 2	H252	Low
Substances and mixtures, which in contact with water, emit flammable gases	Category 1	H260	Moderate
Substances and mixtures, which in contact with water, emit flammable gases	Categories 2, 3	H261	Low
Oxidizing gases, liquids, and solids	Category 1	H270, H271	Moderate
Oxidizing liquids and solids	Category 2	H272	Low
Oxidizing liquids and solids	Category 3	H272	Very Low
Corrosive to metals	Category 1	H290	Low
Desensitized explosives	Categories 1, 2	H206, H207	Moderate
Desensitized explosives	Categories 3, 4	H207, H208	Low
Acute toxicity	Dermal or Inhalation, Category 1	H310, H330	Very High
Acute toxicity	Dermal or Inhalation, Category 2	H310, H330	High
Acute toxicity	Dermal or Inhalation, Category 3	H311, H331	Moderate
Acute toxicity	Dermal or Inhalation, Category 4	H312, H332	Low
Acute toxicity	Dermal or Inhalation, Category 5	H313, H333	Very Low
Acute toxicity	Oral, Category 1	H300	High
Acute toxicity	Oral, Category 2	H300	Moderate
Acute toxicity	Oral, Category 3	H301	Low
Acute toxicity	Oral, Category 4	H302	Very Low
Acute toxicity	Oral, Category 5	H303	Very Low
Skin corrosion/irritation	Category 1, 1A, 1B, 1C	H314	High
Skin corrosion/irritation	Category 2	H315	Moderate
Skin corrosion/irritation	Category 3	H316	Low
Serious eye damage/eye irritation	Category 1	H318	High
Serious eye damage/eye irritation	Category 2, 2A	H319	Moderate
Serious eye damage/eye irritation	Category 2B	H320	Low
Respiratory sensitization	Category 1, 1A, 1B	H334	High
Skin sensitization	Category 1, 1A, 1B	H317	High
Germ cell mutagenicity	Category 1, 1A, 1B	H340	Very High
Germ cell mutagenicity	Category 2	H341	High
Carcinogenicity	Category 1, 1A, 1B	H350, H350i	Very High
Carcinogenicity	Category 2	H351	High
Reproductive toxicity	Additional category for effects on or via lactation	H362	High
Reproductive toxicity	Category 1, 1A, 1B	H360, H360F, H360D, H360FD, H360Fd, H360Df	Very High
Reproductive toxicity	Category 2	H361, H361f, H361d, H361fd	High
Specific target organ toxicity – single exposure	Category 3, Narcotic effects or respiratory tract irritation	H335, H336	Low
Specific target organ toxicity – single exposure	Category 1	H370	High
Specific target organ toxicity – single exposure	Category 2	H371	Moderate
Specific target organ toxicity – repeated exposure	Category 1	H372	High
Specific target organ toxicity – repeated exposure	Category 2	H373	Moderate
Aspiration hazard	Category 1	H304	High
Aspiration hazard	Category 2	H305	Moderate
Hazardous to aquatic environment, short- or long-term	Acute 1, Chronic 1	H400, H410	Moderate
Hazardous to aquatic environment, short- or long-term	Acute 2, Chronic 2	H401, H411	Low
Hazardous to aquatic environment, short- or long-term	Acute 3, Chronic 3, Chronic 4	H402, H412, H413	Very Low
Hazardous to the ozone layer	Category 1	H420	High
Endocrine disruption for human health	Category 1	EUH380	Very High
Endocrine disruption for human health	Category 2	EUH381	High
Endocrine disruption for the environment	Category 1	EUH430	High
Endocrine disruption for the environment	Category 2	EUH431	Moderate
PBT, vPvB, PMT, or vPvM properties	PBT, vPvB, PMT, vPvM	EUH440, EUH441, EUH450, EUH451	High
Supplemental hazard information – physical properties	Reacts violently with water; may form flammable/explosive vapour-air mixture in use	EUH014, EUH018	Low
Supplemental hazard information – physical properties	May form explosive peroxides; risk of explosion if heated under confinement	EUH019, EUH044	Moderate
Supplemental hazard information – health properties	Repeated exposure may cause skin dryness or cracking	EUH066	Very Low
Supplemental hazard information – health properties	Contact with water or acids liberates toxic gas	EUH029, EUH031	Moderate
Supplemental hazard information – health properties	Contact with acids liberates very toxic gas; toxic by eye contact; corrosive to the respiratory tract	EUH032, EUH070, EUH071	High
Supplemental label elements – certain mixtures and plant protection products	Safety data sheet available on request; comply with the instructions for use	EUH210, EUH401	Very Low
Supplemental label elements – certain mixtures	Contains lead, chromium (VI), isocyanates, epoxy constituents, or other sensitizers; can become flammable in use; hazardous respirable droplets or dust may be formed	EUH201, EUH201A, EUH203, EUH204, EUH205, EUH208, EUH209A, EUH211, EUH212	Low
Supplemental label elements – certain mixtures	Cyanoacrylate; may release dangerous gases (chlorine); cadmium fumes formed during use; can become highly flammable in use	EUH202, EUH206, EUH207, EUH209	Moderate

*Hazard categories, sub-categories, divisions, and types that share the same H-codes and Hazard Rating are grouped into single rows. Rows with EUH-codes reflect EU CLP hazard classes and supplemental hazard information not included in GHS.

Table 2: Ingredient-level Hazard Ratings

Note – If a chemical product’s SDS doesn’t disclose any CAS numbers for ingredients or H-Codes for the formulation, then a Product Hazard Rating of Very Low (1) is assigned to the chemical product.

Note – If substances result in ChemFORWARD Hazard Band ratings of “U”, “?”, or “Unregistered”, then ingredient-level hazard ratings of Moderate (3) are assigned to those substances to avoid over- or under-rating such substances and ChemFORWARD uses this information to help prioritize future development of CHAs.

Within the Chemical Inventory of a facility in the Chemical Platform, the PHRs of chemical products are listed in the ‘Hazard’ column as illustrated below.

product safety rating method product hazard hazard rating chemical chemforward cas h-code

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How are Product Hazard Ratings assigned?

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