hazard communication - “your right to know” … · employee, you have the “right to know”...
TRANSCRIPT
HazardCommunication-“YourRighttoKnow”
Introduction:
Exposuretohazardouschemicalsisoneofthemostseriousthreatsfacingworkerstoday.Asanemployee,youhavethe“righttoknow”aboutthehazards.
TheHazardCommunicationStandard(HCS)hasbeenrevisedbyOSHAtoalignwiththeGloballyHarmonizedSystem(GHS)ofClassificationandLabelingofChemicals.Thereasonforthisalignmentistobringclarityinthecommunicationofthepotentialhazardsofachemical.
DiscussionPoints:
• WhatistheHazardCommunicationStandard(HCS)?
• UnderstandingHazardousMaterials
• LabelingRequirements
• WhatisaSafetyDataSheet(SDS)?
• EmployeeResponsibilities
Discussion:
Allhazardousmaterialsaretobelabeled,andalllabelsarerequiredtohavepictogramsalongwiththeuseofsignalwordsindicatingtherelativelevelofseverity,with“Danger”formoreseverehazardsand“Warning”forlessseverehazards.TheGHShasaratingsystemfortheseriousnessofthehazard,rangingfrom1to5,with1indicatingseverehazardsand5indicatingminimalhazards.
TheemployerisrequiredtohaveaSafetyDataSheetoneveryhazardousmaterialtheemployeeisexposedto,andprovidetrainingwhentheemployeeishired,andwhenanewchemicalisintroducedtotheworkplace.
Allinformation,theemployeeshouldbeawareofisontheSDS,whichisacomprehensiveinformationguideaboutachemical.Tostaysafe,alwaysreadthelabelsandSafetyDataSheetsprovided,andpracticeappropriatesafetymeasures,includingwearingspecifiedPersonalProtectiveEquipment(PPE).
Asalways,besafeoutthere!
February 4, 2019