Inside The /ghs Label Builder

I built /ghs because small labs and field teams still end up making chemical labels in spreadsheets, half-broken templates, or desktop software that only one person knows how to use.

The goal is modest: make it fast to produce a readable GHS label without turning the task into an EHS software rollout.

What I Wanted

• consistent signal words, pictograms, and H/P statements
• print layouts that match real labels
• no account required for basic use
• drafts that survive a browser refresh
• enough structure to avoid missing obvious hazards

Who It Is For

This is aimed at small labs, university groups, makerspaces, community bio labs, and field teams that occasionally need clean labels but do not have enterprise tooling.

It is not a substitute for a safety program, SDS review, or local compliance process. It is a practical label builder.

How It Works

• Start from a blank label or a sample chemical.
• Add identifiers, CAS number, supplier, storage location, PPE, pictograms, signal word, and notes.
• Preview the label as you work.
• Add finished labels to a print queue.
• Pick page layout and print from the browser.
• Optionally include a QR code using a UUID, CAS number, product name, storage location, or supplier field.

Drafts are stored locally in the browser. Basic label work does not require a database.

Optional AI Assist

If OPENAI_KEY or OPENAI_API_KEY is configured, /api/ghs/ai can suggest concise hazard and precautionary language. I kept that feature bounded on purpose: it is there to help compress wording, not to replace SDS review.

What I Still Want To Improve

The next useful work is not flashy. Better templates for common chemical families, cleaner SDS linking, and organization-level presets would help more than another layer of UI decoration.

If you use it and something is awkward, the best feedback is the specific label you were trying to make.