Category: Chemicals

Today’s workplace uses thousands of chemicals, many of which are hazardous. The resources in this section will help guide you in the safe and legal identification, storage, transport, and use of these chemicals, and in making sure that your employees right to know how to be safe around such substances is provided, as required by law.

TRI Reporting Due Soon

President Obama’s Omnibus Appropriations Act rescinded EPA’s TRI Burden Reduction Rule of 2006. The Act requires that all reports on PBT chemicals (chemicals and chemical categories of “special concern”) be submitted on Form R, the more detailed form. For all other chemicals, the shorter Form A may be used only if the annual reporting amount […]

Why Do We Need GHS? Is the Hazard Communication Standard Obsolete?

Why do we need the GHS? GHS is a Globally Harmonized System of classification and labeling of chemicals, yet we already have OSHA’s hazard communication standard (HCS), so why is GHS necessary? In a BLR webinar titled "The Hazard Communication Standard: Significant Changes are Finally Here – Are You Ready for GHS?," Brad Harbaugh outlined […]

TRI Exemptions—What You Don’t Have to Report

Use Exemptions Certain uses of listed toxic chemicals are exempt: Use as a structural component of the facility. Use in routine janitorial or facility grounds maintenance (including phenol in bathroom disinfectants and pesticides in lawn care products). Listed chemicals used in facility equipment maintenance and cleaning or maintenance activities that are integral to the production […]

Labeling the GHS Way

Today, we’ll look key requirements of the new GHS labeling system New labels required by the revision of the hazard communication standard (29 CFR 1910.1200) to incorporate GHS amendments will look and read somewhat differently from previously approved label formats. Of course the purpose of the new labels, tags, and markings remains as always to […]

8 Steps to Facilitate Compliance with GHS

With the hazard communication standard already a regular fixture on OSHA’s most frequently cited standards list, it’s more important now than ever before to understand how GHS affects your hazard communication obligations. It’s important to remember that your hazard communication requirements will not be reduced by the Globally Harmonized System (GHS); they will simply be […]

OSHA GHS Final Rule Effective Next Week

The Globally Harmonized System (GHS) finally makes its debut. But don’t worry, there’s plenty of time yet to comply. OSHA has announced that the final rule for GHS, or Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals, will become law effective May 25, 2012. The effective date of the final rule is 60 days […]