OSHA News

Twenty Years of Hazard Communication

OSHA's hazard communication standard, the most far-reaching and challenging standard in the agency's history, has turned 20 years old in November 2003. And, despite two decades of program evolution and compliance assistance, hazard communication remains among the most frequently cited of all OSHA standards.

According to OSHA, more than 32 million workers are exposed to 650,000 hazardous chemical products in more than 3 million workplaces. The standard requires covered workplaces to have a written hazcom program, a system to evaluate hazards, labeling of in-plant containers of hazardous chemicals, material safety data sheets (MSDSs) supplied by manufacturers or distributors, and employee training.

For more information, log on to www.osha.gov/SLTC/hazardcommunications/index.html.