Updated OSHA Communication Standard Focuses on Hazardous Chemicals

Late last week, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) proposed an update on the Hazard Communication Standard, first established in 1983, to help protect workers who use hazardous chemicals on the job.

OSHA last updated the standard in 2012 to align with the third revision of the United Nations’ Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). The current proposed update will align with the seventh revision of the GHS.

The update will:

• Improve the standard’s alignment with other federal agencies
• Address issues that have come up since implementation of the 2012 standard
• Improve the information on the labels and safety data sheets for hazardous chemicals, increasing worker protections and reducing chemical-related occupational illnesses and injuries
• Enhance the effectiveness of the standard by improving dissemination of the hazard information so employees are more informed of chemical hazard exposures in the workplace.

OSHA is asking individuals to submit comments on the standards electronically at www.regulations.gov by April 19, 2021.