According to Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Hazard Communication Standard CFR29 1910.1200 (HazCom), employers must ensure employees have access to information about the identities and hazards of the chemicals present in the work place. The information must be understandable to all workers. The pictogram based hazcom program make it easier for workers to understand the hazard information on the chemical labels and safety data sheets.
OSHA mandates employers to properly label all hazardous chemicals in their workplaces, provide employees with safety data sheets (SDS), and train them to handle the chemicals appropriately.
Who is covered under Hazcom plan?
The Hazard Communication Program covers all UAB employees (including faculty, staff and other employees) on campus, except those working in the laboratories, which are covered by the Chemical Hygiene Plan. This applies to all hazardous materials and any health or physical hazards posed by those materials in the workplace in such a manner that employees may be exposed under normal conditions of use or in a foreseeable emergency. This Standard is also applicable to employees involved in work operations where employees only handle chemicals in sealed containers, which are not opened under normal conditions.
Labeling
All chemical containers, both hazardous and nonhazardous must be prominently and accurately labeled with the chemical name and the appropriate hazard warnings. The label must be in English. Formulas and abbreviations are not acceptable for any containers. The label must be legible, permanently displayed. The hazard warning must provide the health and physical hazards of the chemical. This can be done through pictures, symbols, or a combination of both. Chemical container labels can be generated using ChemWatch .
When transferring chemicals from the original container to a secondary (portable) container, those containers must also comply with the labeling requirements listed above. Chemical labels can be generated using ChemWatch.
Safety Data Sheets
Supervisors must ensure that the SDSs (formerly MSDS, Material Safety Data Sheets) are readily accessible to employees for all hazardous chemicals in their workplace. This may be done in many ways. For example, supervisors may keep the SDSs in a binder or on computers as long as the employees have immediate access to the information without leaving their work area when needed and a back-up is available for rapid access to the SDS in the case of a power outage or other emergency.
Supervisors can keep hard copies of SDSs in a folder accessible to all employees in the work place.
UAB has subscribed to the ChemWatch chemical SDS database and it may be accessed from any computer on the UAB campus, within the UAB Medical system, or connected via VPN. If you can’t find the SDS that you are looking for, contact EH&S at 205-934-2487 to request CHO to contact the manufacturer to obtain one.
Training and course assignment
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