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Main department:

Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Environment Directorate)

Main relevant regulations:

Workplace: Decree 346/011; Decree 307/009 and Decree 406/88;
Agricultural products: Decree 294/04
Transport of dangerous goods: Decree 560/03 and Decree 158/85;
Consumer's protection: Decree 180/00 (MERCOSUR/GMC/RES.49/99)

The Implementation of GHS:

Decree 307/009 of 3 July 2009, on protection of health and safety of workers from chemical risks, establishes that labels and Safety Data Sheets shall conform to the GHS. The Decree entered into force on September 2009 (120 days after its publication on the Official Journal) with a transitional period of one year for provisions concerning labelling.

Decree 346/011 of 28 September 2011 amends Decree 307/009, among other things, to extend the transitional period for entry into force of labelling provisions and preparation of Safety Data Sheets in accordance with the GHS, as follows:

*For substances (labelling): until 31 December 2012

*For mixtures (labelling): until 31 December 2017

Decree 346/011 entered into force immediately after its publication and establishes in its article 7 that all industries falling within the scope of decree 307/009 shall design and apply a GHS implementation plan within the 6 months following its entry into force

GHS side event (organized by the Government of Uruguay, in collaboration with UNITAR) during the first meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP-1) of the Stockholm Convention in 2005. The establishment of a classification and labelling system based on the GHS was identified as a priority during the process of elaboration of a National Plan of implementation of the Stockholm Convention.
First national workshop on chemical hazard communication (August 2005);

GHS included as part of the courses on chemical safety for undergraduates (mandatory) and graduates (Faculty of Chemistry, National University).
At regional level, as a member of the MERCOSUR Ad Hoc Group on Chemicals (Environmental Area, Sub-Group 6), Uruguay identified GHS implementation as one of the six issues of highest priority for the region. Launching of the project “National awareness raising and capacity assessment for GHS implementation” with the support of UNITAR/ILO and the government of Switzerland.

Second national workshop on chemical hazard communication (April 2009);
Publication of Decree 307/009 of 3 July 2009, on protection of health and safety of workers from chemical risks, based on the GHS (includes provisions for labelling and preparation of SDS in accordance with the GHS), implementing the GHS at the workplace. 
Promotion of the adoption of the GHS at MERCOSUR level, including the amendment and/or development of regional standards and capacity building activities.
Publication of Decree 346/011, amending Decree 307/009, notably to extend the transitional period for the implementation of GHS labelling at the workplace.