Hazard Communication

Hazard Communication
Hazard Communication
Hazard communication
provides you with knowledge - information
about chemicals so you can know the right
thing to do in every situation.

OSHA’s Hazard Communication
OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard
More than a decade ago, OSHA, the
Occupational Safety and Health
Administration adopted the Hazard
Communication Standard to make sure
employees have information about the
chemicals they use

OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard
Your employer collects a material safety data
sheet, called MSDS, for every hazardous
chemical on-site, makes sure all the
chemicals at work are labeled, and assures
that MSDS is current.

MSDS Basics
MSDS Basics
The cornerstone of every hazard
communication's program is your facility's
collection of Material Safety Data Sheets.
Your employer collects a MSDS for every
hazardous chemical in the facility and makes
these available for you to check at any time.

MSDS Basics
Each MSDS contains information in 12 or 16
category format. Each of these is important to
understand.
MSDS Basics
- Name of Substance
- Date
- Physical characteristics, which is a description of the material including
smell, color, appearance,flash point, and vapor pressure.
- Physical hazards, which explain whether the substance is subject to
sudden violent reactions like explosions or fires.
MSDS Basics
- Health hazards, whether and how a chemical could harm your health.
- route of entry, which describes how the chemical gets into your body
- Exposure limits, which are the amount of
exposure to the substance you can work in
without being over exposed.
MSDS Basics
- Carcinogenic status, which includes whether
the chemical causes or may cause cancer.
- Safe handling and use, which explains
precaution and protective measures needed
when using the substance or cleaning up
spills.
Label Basics - General
The term label is used to describe the printed
information attached to a chemical container,
usually by the manufacturer.

Most of the time, the label is glued to the
chemical container. In other cases, it will be a
tag or sheet attached to the container.

Under the Hazard Communication Standard,
chemical labels must give the identity of the
substance in the container and at least
general warnings about the physical and
health hazards of the substance. The
warnings may use words, pictures or symbols.

Labels must be changed within three months
of learning about new hazards. That is why
you should check the label regularly, even if
you use a chemical all the time. Although the
regulation states three months, it would be
prudent to make this change as soon as
possible.
Labels may contain other information, like the
kind of protective equipment you need to
wear, but it is also brief. That's why the name
on the label and on the MSDS are the same.
This lets you easily check the MSDS for more
complete information about the substance.

With few exceptions, every chemical in your
workplace must be labeled. You also will learn
how to report damaged or missing labels.
Never remove or deface a label or use a
chemical from an unmarked container.

Label type - NFPA
Types of Labels - NFPA
The NFPA hazard warning label is divided into
four diamond-shaped sections. Each section
is a different color and contains a number
from zero to four that tells you the degree of
hazard. The higher the number, the greater
the hazard. But remember that every rating
above zero means the substance poses a
danger. Four is the highest hazardous rating.

Label type - DOT
Types of Labels - DOT
The second kind of diamond-shaped label is
the Department of Transportation hazardous
materials label. Often called a DOT label, you
will see it on drums, compressed gas
cylinders,
DOT labels and placards are color-coded and
usually bear a symbol to indicate the hazard
of the substance.
For example, the placard for
a flammable substance is red with a flame on
it.
Additionally, each DOT label has the DOT
hazard class and division number (if
applicable) printed on it. Hazard class and
division numbers are printed at the bottom of
the label to indicate the material's primary
hazard.
Some materials may have two DOT
labels. This indicates both the primary and
secondary hazard. But, even if there's only
one DOT label, it doesn't mean there is only
one hazard.
Types of Labels - DOT
Some DOT symbols you might see include,
Flammable-symbolized by the color red with
flames, Explosive-shown in orange with an
exploding symbol, and Nonflammable gas
which is green with a tank.

Corrosive-which is black and white with
hands, Poison-shown in black and white with
a skull and crossbones, Inhalation Hazards
are shown black and white with skull and
crossbones on black background and
Oxidizers and Organic Peroxides are
symbolized by the color yellow with a circle
with flames.
Label Type - 5-level bar chart
Types of Labels – 5-Level Bar Chart
The third type of label is a five-level bar chart.
Like the NFPA system, it uses colors blue, red
and yellow and a number from zero to four to
describe teh degree of hazard the substance
poses in each area.

Let's look at a typical bar label. It has the
name of the substance in the top level of the
bar.
The next level is blue and rates the health
hazards of the substance on a scale of zero
to four. Sometimes both acute and chronic
hazards are shown. Like the NFPA system, a
zero indicated no hazard, while a four
indicates extreme danger.

The third level is red and rates the
substance's flammability on a scale of zero to
four. The fourth level is yellow and rates the
substance's reactivity on a scale of zero to
four.
The last level is white and uses letters and
pictures to show the protective equipment or
personal protection that is needed when
working with the substance. The letter and
symbol in the white section refer you to the
wall chart or poster, which provides additional
information.

Hazard Communication

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Hazard Communication

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Hazard Communication

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Hazard Communication

provides you with knowledge - information

about chemicals so you can know the right

thing to do in every situation.

Occupational Safety and Health

Administration adopted the Hazard

Communication Standard to make sure

employees have information about the

chemicals they use

sheet, called MSDS, for every hazardous

chemical on-site, makes sure all the

chemicals at work are labeled, and assures

that MSDS is current.

communication's program is your facility's

collection of Material Safety Data Sheets.

Your employer collects a MSDS for every

hazardous chemical in the facility and makes

these available for you to check at any time.

category format. Each of these is important to

the chemical causes or may cause cancer.

- Safe handling and use, which explains

precaution and protective measures needed

when using the substance or cleaning up

information attached to a chemical container,

usually by the manufacturer.

chemical container. In other cases, it will be a

tag or sheet attached to the container.

chemical labels must give the identity of the

substance in the container and at least

general warnings about the physical and

health hazards of the substance. The

warnings may use words, pictures or symbols.

kind of protective equipment you need to

wear, but it is also brief. That's why the name

on the label and on the MSDS are the same.

This lets you easily check the MSDS for more

complete information about the substance.

workplace must be labeled. You also will learn

how to report damaged or missing labels.

Never remove or deface a label or use a

chemical from an unmarked container.

four diamond-shaped sections. Each section

is a diﬀerent color and contains a number

from zero to four that tells you the degree of

hazard. The higher the number, the greater

the hazard. But remember that every rating

above zero means the substance poses a

danger. Four is the highest hazardous rating.

the Department of Transportation hazardous

materials label. Often called a DOT label, you

will see it on drums, compressed gas

usually bear a symbol to indicate the hazard

For example, the placard for

a ﬂammable substance is red with a ﬂame on

hazard class and division number (if

applicable) printed on it. Hazard class and

division numbers are printed at the bottom of

the label to indicate the material's primary

labels. This indicates both the primary and

secondary hazard. But, even if there's only