Since it’s conception 22 years ago, the OSHA Hazard Communication Standard (HCS or HazCom) has increased the availability of chemical information in workplaces. Additionally, the legislation has dramatically improved the safety and health of workers who handle hazardous chemicals. Building off the success of HazCom 1983, HazCom 2012 works to move nations around the world toward alignment with the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling Chemicals (GHS). The adoption of GHS is expected to prevent even more injuries and deaths while simultaneously improving working conditions for chemical manufacturers.
OSHA has stated in their Hazard Communication Standard Final Rule that HazCom 1983 provides workers with the “right to know” about chemical hazards, whereas HazCom 2012 provides workers with the “right to understand”. At first glance “the right to know” and “the right to understand” may seem similar. However, according to OSHA, “several studies show that employees do not understand approximately one-third of the safety and health information listed on Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs) prepared in accordance with the current standard.” This illustrated the fact that simply having MSDSs available for a worker is not enough to communicate the potential hazards of dangerous chemicals.
Under HazCom 1983, to verify if companies were making hazardous information “known”, OSHA inspectors checked if MSDSs were on file and whether corporations had records of workers’ training. At this time, OSHA has not come forward and stated how they would verify if hazardous information is “understood”, but some have suggested that OSHA inspectors might quiz workers on their understanding of the pictograms and labels on Safety Data Sheets (SDSs).
Training employees on GHS regulations is a critical step in the GHS adoption timeline. December 1, 2013 was the deadline for employers to train their employees on the new GHS standards. By carefully documenting the training workers have gone through, employers can remain in compliance as well as ensuring that their employees understand all the information relating to HazCom 2012.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
