U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued a final rule to update the agency’s Hazard Communication Standard (HCS).
OSHA has issued a final rule that updates the Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) to align primarily with the seventh revision of the United Nations’ Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). The final rule was published on May 20, 2024 and takes effect on July 19, 2024.
The updated standard will improve the standard’s effectiveness by better informing employees about chemical hazards in the workplace. This final rule will increase worker protections and reduce the incidences of chemical-related occupational illnesses and injuries by further improving the information on the labels and safety data sheets for hazardous chemicals. The final rule will also address issues arising since implementation of the 2012 standard and improve alignment with other federal agencies and Canada. Please see the Highlights for more information.
Established in 1983, the HCS provides a standardized approach to communicating workplace hazards associated with exposure to dangerous chemicals. OSHA updated the standard in 2012 to align with the third revision of the GHS. The system provides a common and coherent approach to classifying chemicals and communicating hazard information.