On May 20, the Department of Labor announced a final rule from its Occupational Safety and Health Administration that will update the current Hazard Communication Standard to better protect workers by improving the amount and quality of information on labels and safety data sheets, which allows workers and first responders to react more quickly in an emergency, according to OSHA. The updates take effect July 19.
Aligned primarily with the seventh revision of the United Nations’ Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals, the updated standard will require labels on small packaging to be more comprehensive and readable and makes changes to help ensure trade secrets no longer prevent workers and first responders from receiving critical hazard information on safety data sheets.
Other changes to the standard include a clearer hazard classification process to provide more complete and accurate hazard information on labels and safety data sheets; updated physical hazard classes to better inform users regarding safe handling of explosives, aerosols and chemicals under pressure; and updated precautionary statements about how to safely handle, store and dispose of hazardous chemicals.
OSHA’s previous Hazard Communication Standard update, published in 2012, was the first to align with GHS. That final rule incorporated the third revision to provide a common and coherent approach to classifying chemicals and communicating hazard information.
Safety+Health magazine reports employers using products covered under the standard must update their hazard communication programs, labeling and employee training by July 20, 2026, or Jan. 19, 2028, depending on substances or mixtures. Until those dates, employers can comply with the old or new standard—or both.
The Hazard Communication Standard provides a standardized approach to workplace hazard communications associated with exposure to hazardous chemicals. All employers with hazardous chemicals in their workplaces must have labels and safety data sheets for their exposed workers and train them to handle the chemicals safely.
If you have questions about the standard, please contact Johny Hayden, NRCA's director of enterprise risk management, at jhayden@nrca.net.
