The first major overhaul of US chemical safety regulations in over a decade introduces sweeping changes to classification, labeling and documentation requirements. Philip Mole of VelocityEHS maps out the critical updates and compliance deadlines facing manufacturers and downstream users starting next year.
In workplaces where employees may be exposed to hazardous chemicals, the hazard communication standard, or HazCom, is one of the most important regulations US businesses need to follow. It’s also important to remember that meeting HazCom requirements isn’t just a regulatory obligation but an important means to ensure that everyone working for you makes it home safely every day.
That has been true since OSHA unveiled HazCom in 1983, but now, thanks to new requirements that are already in effect on a phased-in compliance timeline, HazCom has become even more effective at supporting workplace safety.
HazCom changes
For more than four decades, HazCom has defined standards and procedures designed to ensure that chemical manufacturers and suppliers classify their chemicals and provide information about chemical hazards to downstream businesses using those chemicals. The ultimate intent is to ensure that any workers exposed to those chemicals have access to information about hazards and understand how…
