GHS Container Labels
In 1983 the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) created The Hazard Communication Standard. This regulation, also known as the HazCom Standard, gives workers the right to know about any hazardous substances in their workplace, and how to safely handle them.
This safety training course explains how hazardous materials (HazMat) are required to be clearly labeled according to OSHA’s Globally Harmonized System (GHS). Viewers learn the goals of the HazCom Standard, what the benefits of the GHS are, and how the HazMat labels inform individuals on how to work safely with hazardous materials.
Information explaining how to safely handle hazardous materials must be provided by the companies supplying the materials, as well as by the companies using them. This information can be provided to workers through HazMat container labels, Safety Data Sheets (SDS), and within a company’s Hazard Communication Program.
The GHS uses 9 pictograms, or images, to classify materials and allow people in any country to quickly understand the hazards of the materials. The pictograms visually convey the material’s physical properties, its health effects, and how it can affect the environment. For example, the pictogram of a dead tree and fish means the materials are hazardous to the environment and can harm living things in the water. The GHS also uses standardized text elements to communicate hazards.
Watch this safety training course to learn how to work more safely with hazardous materials by understanding GHS container labels and how to use them.