Hazard Communication (HazCom): OSHA's Standard Explained
If your workplace has chemicals, HazCom applies to you. OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard is one of the most-cited rules in the country. Here is what it requires, in plain terms.
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The OSHA Hazard Communication Standard (29 CFR 1910.1200) requires employers with hazardous chemicals to maintain a written HazCom program, keep a safety data sheet (SDS) for every chemical, ensure containers are labeled using the GHS system, and train employees on the hazards and protective measures before exposure and whenever a new hazard is introduced.
The Right to Know
HazCom is built on a simple principle: workers have the right to know what chemicals they are exposed to and how to protect themselves. The standard aligns the United States with the Globally Harmonized System (GHS), which standardizes labels and safety data sheets so a hazard means the same thing everywhere.
The Four Pillars of a HazCom Program
- Written program. A documented plan describing how labeling, SDSs, and training are handled at your site, including a chemical inventory.
- Safety data sheets. A current SDS for every hazardous chemical, in a standard 16-section format, readily accessible to workers on every shift.
- Labels. Container labels with a product identifier, signal word, hazard statements, pictograms, precautionary statements, and supplier information.
- Training. Worker training on the hazards, the label and SDS system, and protective measures, provided before exposure and updated when new hazards appear.
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The GHS uses nine standardized pictograms, from the flame to the health hazard to the corrosion symbol, that workers must be able to recognize and act on instantly.
Why Recognition Beats Recall
HazCom training often means a slideshow of pictograms and a quiz. But the skill that protects a worker is recognizing a hazard on a real container in a real workspace and responding correctly, not naming a symbol on a test. Scenario-based and immersive training puts workers in the environment, reading real labels and reacting to real spills or exposures, which is where the learning transfers. See our hazmat VR training and safety and operations VR training.
WE BUILD THIS IN VR — THE PRIME VR
We build VR HazCom training where workers read real GHS labels and respond to simulated spills and exposures in your actual environment, turning pictogram recognition into trained reaction.
Book a discovery callFrequently Asked Questions
Who has to comply with the Hazard Communication Standard? +
Any employer whose workers may be exposed to hazardous chemicals under normal conditions or in a foreseeable emergency. This covers the vast majority of workplaces, from manufacturing to labs to cleaning operations.
What are the required elements of a HazCom program? +
A written hazard communication program, a maintained inventory and accessible safety data sheets for every hazardous chemical, GHS-compliant container labels, and employee training on hazards and protective measures.
How many sections does a safety data sheet have? +
A GHS-aligned safety data sheet has a standardized 16-section format, covering identification, hazards, composition, first aid, firefighting, accidental release, handling and storage, exposure controls, and more, in a consistent order.
When must HazCom training be provided? +
At the time of a worker's initial assignment to a job involving hazardous chemicals, and again whenever a new chemical hazard is introduced into their work area. It is not a one-time event.
Make hazard recognition automatic
Immersive training has workers read real labels and respond to real exposures, safely.