Lately, our Hazard Communication (Hazcom) training has had an increase in activity. This has lead to a lot of questions about Hazard Communication training, and we’d like to address those questions for you. We’re going to start with the most common question.
Who needs Hazcom training? Do I? Does my company?
To start, OSHA mandates that all employers with hazardous chemicals in their workplaces must have labels and safety data sheets for their exposed workers. They must also train their workers to handle the chemicals appropriately.
Employers are also responsible for providing site-specific hazard training. Training like this can never be a one-size-fits-all system. It can provide the knowledge you need to get your workplace up to code, however. It is up to you to appropriately apply the hazard communication training to your workplace.
Employers in all industries of all sizes must provide training when hazardous chemicals are present in the workplace. This includes health care, dental, labs, construction, manufacturing, cleaning services, etc.
Only workers who have potential exposure to the hazardous chemicals need to be trained. In some workplaces, that means everyone.
Office workers who encounter hazardous chemicals only in isolated instances, such as copy toner, consumer cleaning products, adhesive tape, etc. are not covered by the Hazcom rule.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) estimates that 5 million workplaces are subject to this new Hazcom regulation, which is due to be completed by employers before December 1, 2013.
Get your company trained today at ProHazcom. For Hazcom group rates, click here to get a quote on our OSHA compliant online training!