Does Your HazCom Training Cover All the Bases?

Before employees work with hazardous chemicals, there’s a lot they need to know and do. Train them to take these preliminary steps:

• Read the label and MSDS. That way, workers will know in advance what could go wrong and what to do about it.
• 
  Check the physical hazards. If a chemical is a fire, explosion, or reactivity risk, you want your employees to know about the specific hazards so that they can be sure to avoid them. 
• 
  Select the PPE specified in the MSDS. PPE and protective clothing are the best line of defense against chemical health hazards. Before employees handle any hazardous chemical, they must be properly protected.
• 
  Check the handling and storage instructions—and follow them.
• 
  Follow recommended hygiene practices. If the MSDS says to remove contaminated clothing and wash thoroughly after working with a chemical, you want your workers to know what they have to do at the end of the job—
• 
  before they start the job.
• 
  Know what to do in an emergency. The Hazard Communication Standard requires you to develop emergency procedures in the event of an exposure, spill, or other safety incident involving hazardous chemicals. Be sure your workers know whom to call and what to do if the worst happens.

---

We have a hazard communication policy for you that’s already written and ready to use. We also have just about every other safety policy you’re likely to need in BLR’s Essential Safety Policies. Examine it at no cost and with no obligation to purchase. Get details here.

---

Safe Work Practices

Also, train workers to follow these safe work practices when handling hazardous chemicals:

• Follow required safety procedures on all jobs—no shortcuts!
• 
  Keep chemical containers closed when not in use.
• 
  Check containers regularly for leaks.
• 
  Keep flammable and explosive materials away from heat sources.
• 
  Inspect PPE and protective clothing to be sure they are in good condition before putting them on.
• 
  Work with a buddy on very hazardous jobs.
• 
  Keep food, drinks, and personal items out of chemical work areas.
• 
  Wash thoroughly before eating, drinking, applying cosmetics, or smoking.
• 
  Follow proper decontamination procedures for tools, equipment, PPE, and clothing, and wash thoroughly after using hazardous chemicals.
• 
  Dispose of all hazardous chemicals according to workplace rules and government regulations.
• 
  Report any exposures, accidents, or other safety problems immediately.

---

Get the safety policies you need without the work. They’re in BLR’s Essential Safety Policies program. Try it at no cost and no risk. Find out how.

---

Why Write Your Own Safety Policies?

If you have hazardous chemicals in your workplace, you not only have to train employees, you must alsohave a written policy to promote hazard communication. But the good news is that you don’t have to write it yourself. The BLR^® publication Essential Safety Policies has a HazCom policy that’s already written and ready to use. You can use the policy "as is" or adapt it to your organization’s particular needs and style.

In addition to written policies, Essential Safety Policies provides you with comprehensive lists of points to cover if you want to adapt any one of the policies in the manual or draft a policy of your own.

And Essential Safety Policies doesn’t stop there—it gives you a detailed list of other important things to consider when you implement these policies, such as interrelation with other policies, employee training, legal considerations, and more.

Take these kinds of materials and multiply them by more than two dozen key safety topics, and you’ll know why Essential Safety Policies is such a valuable tool for busy safety professionals. These policies provide a ready-to-modify or use-as-is safety handbook for all your workers, with minimal effort on your part.

The policies are backed by a tutorial on policy writing and essential materials such as handbook receipts. A CD version is also available.

If your organization could benefit from supplementing (or perhaps having for the first time) a complete set of ready-to-use safety policies, we highly recommend a 30-day, no-cost, no-obligation, look at this program. Go here and we’ll be pleased to send it to you.

More Articles on Training