Duraclean Journal of Marketing, Management and Technical Topics

The Right to Know—Don't Get it Wrong









The following article is a condensation from the "Safety News Alert" newsletter from BLR (http://www.blr.com). It emphasizes that the basic goal of an effective hazard communication (HazCom) program is to ensure that both employers and employees know the identities and hazards of chemicals in their workplaces.




Avoiding Citations

One of the reasons for the large number of hazard communication standard (HCS) citations is that many employers mistakenly believe the standard only applies to large companies or those in the chemical industry. The fact is, however, that the vast majority of workplaces contain at least some hazardous chemicals, which means that most employers must meet the requirements of HCS.


How about your hazard communication program? Is it 100 percent in compliance with HCS requirements? Let’s see.


NOTE: Checklists inform supervisors and employees about workplace hazards like chemicals and help keep everyone safe.




HazCom Program Basics

To ensure HCS compliance, you should be able to sign off on all the following basic requirements for HazCom programs:

• Is your program written and explained to employees?
• Can employees and their representatives get copies to read if they want to?
• Does your HazCom program identify the individuals responsible for each aspect of the program?
• Does your program explain how the standard’s requirements will be met?
• Does it include a list of hazardous chemicals used or stored in the workplace?
• Does your HazCom program include effective, documented employee training that fully covers the topic and all the OSHA training requirements?
• Are employees retrained whenever new chemical hazards are introduced?
• Does your program account for how contractor’s employees will receive HazCom information while working in your workplace?
• Are all chemical containers properly labeled, and do labels correctly identify chemicals?
• Are material safety data sheets (MSDSs) accessible to employees at all times?
• Are MSDS files kept current and up to date?
• Do workers understand the information on labels and MSDSs and know how to use it to protect their health and safety?

Labels: employees, Safety Compliance, Training