Introduction: The Numbers

More than 30 million workers are potentially exposed to one or more chemical hazards. There are an estimated 650,000 existing hazardous chemical products, and hundreds of new ones are being introduced annually. This poses a serious problem for exposed workers and their employers.

The OSHA Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) - 29 CFR 1910.1200 provides workers exposed to hazardous chemicals with the right-to-know the identities and hazards of those materials, as well as appropriate protective measures. When workers have such information, they are able to take steps to protect themselves from experiencing adverse effects from exposure.

It's important that you be familiar with OSHA's hazard communication standards to help save lives and avoid OSHA citations. Take a look at OSHA's top 10 most cited violations for 2016 and you will see that hazard communication ranks high.

Top 10 most frequently cited OSHA standards violations for 2017:

1. 1926.501 - Fall Protection - Construction
2. 1910.1200 - Hazard Communication - General Industry
3. 1926.451 - Scaffolding - Construction
4. 1910.134 - Respiratory Protection - General Industry
5. 1910.147 - Lockout/Tagout - General Industry
6. 1926.1053 - Ladders - Construction
7. 1910.178 - Powered Industrial Trucks - General Industry
8. 1910.212 - Machine Guarding - General Industry
9. 1926.503 - Fall Protection - Training Requirements - Construction
10. 1910.305 - Electrical- Wiring Methods - General Industry

Protection under the Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) includes all workers exposed to hazardous chemicals in all industrial sectors. This standard is based on a simple concept - that employees have both a need and a right to know the hazards and the identities of the chemicals they are exposed to when working. They also need to know what protective measures are available to prevent adverse effects from occurring.

Benefits

The HCS covers both physical hazards (such as flammability or the potential for explosions), and health hazards (including both acute and chronic effects). By making information available to employers and employees about these hazards, and recommended precautions for safe use, proper implementation of the HCS will result in a reduction of illnesses and injuries caused by chemicals. Employers will have the information they need to design an appropriate protective program. Employees will be better able to participate in these programs effectively when they understand the hazards involved, and take steps to protect themselves. Together, these employer and employee actions will prevent the occurrence of adverse effects caused by the use of chemicals in the workplace.

Check out this short audio clip by Dan Clark of the theSafetyBrief.com discusses new requirements for labeling chemicals. In this podcast, HazCom industry expert Chuck Paulausky details these new standards, based on the Globally Harmonized System, GHS.

Course Objectives

This course will focus on the responsibilities of the employer in establishing and implementing an effective hazard communication program. By the end of this course you should be able to:

1. List the primary Hazard Communications Standard responsibilities for manufacturers, distributors, importers, and employers.
2. Describe the four basic elements of the Hazard Communications Program.
3. Discuss the nature of chemical hazards and the types of exposures they present.
4. List the information required on each of the four types of hazardous chemical containers.
5. Describe each of the 16 sections of a Safety Data Sheet (SDS).
6. Identify the basic requirements of the hazard communication training program.

Modules

To begin your training, click on the module links below. If you are just starting this course, you should start with module 1.

1. General Responsibilities
2. Analyzing the Workplace
3. Container Labeling
4. Safety Data Sheets
5. Information and Training
6. Program Analysis Exercise

Course 705 Final Exam

After studying the course material and answering the quiz questions, it is time to take the final exam. We highly recommend answering the module quiz questions to check your understanding of the course material. The final exam questions are typically developed from these quiz questions.

OSHAcademy course final exams are designed to make sure students have gained a sufficient understanding of the content covered within each course. To help demonstrate this understanding, students must achieve a passing score on course final exams. It is OSHAcademy's policy to protect the integrity of our exams: as a result, we do not provide missed questions to students.

This is an open book exam. Students are permitted to use a separate browser window to review course content while taking the exam. If you do not pass a final exam, you will see a "Retake Exam" button next to the course on your student dashboard.

If you have already paid for your certificate

If you have already paid for certificates, your exam score will be displayed on your student dashboard after successfully passing the final exam. If you chose PDF certificates, you can view and print your certificate and personal transcript from your student dashboard. If you chose original printed documents, they will be prepared and mailed to the address in your student account.

If you only want free training

OSHAcademy provides free access to all training materials, including course modules, practice quizzes, exercises, and final exams. However, exam scores, certificates, and transcripts are provided only if you purchase a certificate package to document your training. If you do not require official training documentation, we will archive your exam results should you decide to purchase official certificates later.

Take the Final Exam

Course 705 Study Guide. You can save this study guide to your computer for offline studying, or print the study guide if you prefer.

Additional Resources

1. OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard
2. OSHA's HAZCOM Pub 3844
3. HAZCOM 2012 Webinar slides
4. OSHA HAZCOM Cards
5. OSHA Instruction CPL02-02-079
6. Small Entity Compliance Guide
7. HAZCOM 2012 Inspection Procedures
8. The Globally Harmonized System for Hazard Communication
9. NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards
10. HSE Press Journal: OSHA’s Top 10 Violations: Hazard Communication
11. International Chemical Safety Cards
12. Napo's Films, Via Storia