Hazard Communication (GHS)

OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard (HCS 2012, 29 CFR 1910.1200), often called HazCom or the Right-to-Know Standard, was updated in 2012 to align with the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals. GHS is an international standard that creates a uniform system for communicating chemical hazards. The HCS requires that all employers with hazardous chemicals in the workplace maintain a written hazard communication program, maintain Safety Data Sheets for all chemicals, ensure all containers are properly labeled, and train all workers on chemical hazards and the meaning of labels and SDS. This standard applies to all industries, not just construction.

Safety Data Sheets (SDS) are the primary technical documents for chemical hazard communication. Under GHS, every SDS must contain exactly 16 standardized sections: (1) Identification, (2) Hazard(s) Identification, (3) Composition/Ingredients, (4) First-Aid Measures, (5) Firefighting Measures, (6) Accidental Release Measures, (7) Handling and Storage, (8) Exposure Controls/Personal Protection, (9) Physical and Chemical Properties, (10) Stability and Reactivity, (11) Toxicological Information, (12) Ecological Information (non-mandatory), (13) Disposal Considerations (non-mandatory), (14) Transport Information (non-mandatory), (15) Regulatory Information (non-mandatory), (16) Other Information. Workers must know how to quickly locate information in an SDS — especially Sections 2 (hazards), 4 (first aid), and 8 (exposure controls and PPE).

GHS labels must include: product identifier, signal word ('Danger' for more severe hazards or 'Warning' for less severe), hazard statements describing the nature of the hazard, precautionary statements describing protective measures, pictograms (standardized symbols including flame, skull/crossbones, corrosion, health hazard, exclamation mark, gas cylinder, environment, exploding bomb, and oxidizer), and supplier identification. The skull-and-crossbones indicates acute toxicity; the health hazard symbol (person with starburst) indicates carcinogens, reproductive hazards, or organ toxicity; the exclamation mark indicates irritants and less severe health hazards.