Fire Agency Advances Integrated Hazardous Materials Information System Upgrade

Registration of 100 New Substances
Reinspection and Supplementation of 500 Existing Substances

[Asia Economy Reporter Kiho Sung] The National Fire Agency announced on the 5th that it will register information on over 100 new substances in the Integrated Hazardous Materials Information System by December and will also work to improve the accuracy of information in the existing system.

For the more than 100 new substances, the agency plans to generate information by selecting hazardous materials such as "flammable solids," which are considered hazardous materials domestically but are not classified as hazardous under the GHS (Globally Harmonized System) standards overseas. Such substances are often treated as general materials when imported into Korea, so special management is required.

Additionally, compared to other domestic and international substance information systems, substances frequently used in daily life and those with high usage inquiries will be further added.

Furthermore, among the 7,082 substances in the Integrated Hazardous Materials Information System, about 500 substances including Class 4 special flammables, Class 2 petroleum products, and Class 3 petroleum products will have their information such as flash point, melting point, and boiling point re-examined and supplemented to enhance accuracy.

Meanwhile, in 2022, a unification process was conducted for 519 substances with discrepancies in GHS information between the National Fire Agency’s hazardous materials website, the "National Fire Agency Integrated Hazardous Materials Information System," and the Ministry of Employment and Labor’s chemical substance information (MSDS). Currently, the match rate stands at 99.9%.

Hwang Gi-seok, Director of Fire Prevention at the National Fire Agency, stated, “We will continue to advance the system through research and development and case verification to provide accurate and consistent substance information and ensure hazardous material safety.”