The OSHA standard hazard communication, general industry is one of the top 10 most frequently penalized OSHA standards for FY 2022.

We need to abandon the popular misconceptions that compromise the effectiveness of HazCom training programs.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) proposed rules to modify the Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) to conform to the United Nations’ Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) Revision 7.

Today’s workplaces look far different than they have in the past, taking on many shapes, sizes and settings. As a result, more workers from multiple employers are working side-by-side at the same locations, increasing the shared responsibility for worker safety among employers.

California’s Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, aka Proposition 65 (Prop 65) was revised August 30, 2018. The revised Prop 65 requires a warning label, example shown below, for any consumer product containing any of the more than 950 chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer or birth defects.

Employers continue to struggle with identifying and communicating hazards posed by dangerous chemicals. Fortunately, they can take steps toward complying with HazCom 2012 and GHS standards with simple, effective visual communication tools.