Achieving product compliance and ensuring workplace safety are increasingly complex endeavors. Safety and compliance personnel play a pivotal role in safeguarding workers from chemical hazards, face mounting challenges to meet global regulations, track chemicals of concern, and adapt to evolving reporting requirements and deadlines.
As an example, on May 7, 2024, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) adopted The Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) Revision 7, which entered into force on July 19, 2024. The deadline for compliance with all modified provisions is January 19, 2026. OSHA estimates that the GHS v7 update will impact up to 94% of SDS and 64% of shipping labels. And this revised HazCom standard is just one of dozens of global regulations pushing companies to provide thorough reporting, accurate labeling, universal access, and greater transparency in order to keep stakeholders across the value chain safe. However, the complexity of products today makes manually tracking chemicals used in products an impossible task.
Fortunately, advanced AI technology offers companies a powerful tool for upping their compliance and workplace safety game in ways never before possible. With the adoption of the appropriate AI compliance tools, safety and compliance teams can meet the rigorous demands of the increasingly complex compliance landscape.
Navigating global chemical regulations and ensuring workplace safety compliance are significant challenges for safety teams.
AI has the potential to help safety teams advance their chemical compliance and workplace safety by optimizing data accuracy and exponentially enhancing the productivity of a limited workforce. AI compliance tools enable safety teams to streamline SDS management and meet global chemical regulations efficiently.
A real-world example highlights the value of AI in a daily usage scenario. Consider a chemical company that wants to send a 5 kg sample of a product to Germany. The formula includes a hazardous mixture, but it’s under industrial use. In most organizations today, this question would trigger the following manual workflow:
Using the power of AI in regulatory compliance software, the user could simply enter the query: “Do I need a Poison Centre Notification for xyz product to Germany?”
The AI output would specify:
“No PCN is required for this shipment under current ECHA rules. The mixture is classified as hazardous, but is for industrial use and does not exceed the notification thresholds for non-consumer products. See Annex VIII, Article 2.3(b) for the exemption. [Link]”
This kind of immediate clarity allows the team to move forward confidently, saving time, resources, and reducing risk.
The value of AI in safety and compliance is undeniable. However, not all AI tools are appropriate for these purposes. Companies that plan to invest in AI should understand the value of purpose-built AI tools and carefully vet solutions to ensure optimal results. Here are some considerations to keep in mind.
Most large language models (LLMs) store and use prompts entered for the purposes of training the AI tool. This means that proprietary substance and formulation data could be captured and used in responses provided to other users or even competitors. Therefore, it’s essential to choose an AI tool that does not retain or use proprietary data. Companies should thoroughly assess AI solutions for their privacy and security policies to protect sensitive chemical formulation data.
Generalist AI tools may evaluate sources of information that are incomplete or, worse, incorrect. Use AI tools that are trained to reference credible sources. Another thing to remember is that general AI tools often have information cut-offs, meaning that latest information is not included in the evaluation. This is a problem when it comes to chemical compliance and workplace safety.
Understanding language nuances is crucial in highly specialized fields such as regulatory compliance. AI tools purpose-built to support chemical compliance are trained using industry-specific terminology, and acronyms in different languages to ensure accurate evaluation and outputs. It’s not just about translating reports into other languages, but also about accurately categorizing inputs in different languages from the outset.
Safety and compliance teams empowered with the right AI compliance tools have the potential to streamline regulatory compliance, optimize workplace safety and achieve greater supply chain visibility. Teams are only beginning to discover use cases for AI that can advance their efforts and productivity. As companies embark on their journey to navigate the complexities of an increasingly regulated landscape, AI can help them advance their capabilities alongside growing rigor of compliance demands.
