HAZARD

COMMUNICATION
LLANNE J. CONCEPCION RN
OSH PRACTITIONER : #1033-161205-H-0223
DISCLAIMER

The information, suggestions and recommendations contained herein are for general informational
purposes only. This information has been compiled from sources believed to be reliable. No warranty,
guarantee, or representation, either expressed or implied, is made as to the correctness or sufficiency
of any representation contained herein. Reliance upon, or compliance with, any of the information,
suggestions or recommendations contained herein in no way guarantees the fulfillment of your
obligations under your insurance policy or as may otherwise be required by any laws, rules or
regulations. This Information should not be construed as business, risk management or legal advice, or
legal opinion.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• Describe the basic principles of the Hazard Communication Standard

• Describe basic elements of chemicals and how they can enter the body
• Categorize the types of chemical hazards
• Describe the health and safety effects of exposure to hazardous
chemicals
• Describe the GHS labeling and placarding requirements for chemicals
• Describe the basic information on a Safety Data Sheet (SDS)
 INTRODUCTION

• About 32 million workers work with and are potentially exposed to one or more
chemical hazards

• Millions of chemicals and chemical products exist today, and hundreds of new ones
introduced annually

• Chemical exposure may cause or contribute to many serious health effects such as heart
ailments, CNS damage, kidney and lung damage, sterility, cancer, burns, and rashes

• Some chemicals may also be safety hazards and have the potential to cause fires and
explosions and other serious accidents
WHY A HAZCOM PROGRAM?
• Employees have both a need and a right to know the hazards and
identities of the chemicals to which they are exposed
• Employees have both a need and a right to know the necessary
protective measures to prevent injury or illness.

250
Annual Number of

200
Violations

150
100
50
0

No Inadequate No
Written Information / Labeling
Plan Training
FIRST, A LITTLE CHEMISTRY - THREE STATES OF MATTER

• Solid - A solid has a definite shape and volume regardless of the container into
which it is placed.
• Liquid - A quantity of liquid has a definite volume, but takes on the shape of its
container.
• Gas - A quantity of gas has the shape and volume of the container it occupies. Solid

Sulfur
dioxide

Liquid Gas
 PHYSICAL & CHEMICAL PROPERTIES
• Boiling Point: Temperature at which a liquid changes to gas
• Example: Water boils at 212｡F
• Importance: It determines whether a substance will be a liquid or gas at ambient
temperature
• Corrosiveness: A compound that can quickly damage skin, metal, or other solids
• Example: If strong acids or bases are stored in metal containers, they will rapidly eat
through the container
• Importance: Corrosives can harm skin, lungs, eyes, mouth and stomach
• Solubility: The measure of how readily a chemical dissolves in water
• Example: Alcohol readily mixes with water; motor oil does not
• Importance: If a liquid spills into a waterway and is not soluble, it will either float or sink
 Page 10

PHYSICAL & CHEMICAL PROPERTIES,

• Viscosity: Having relatively high resistance to flow.

• Example: Water has a low viscosity, while heavy crude oil has a much greater viscosity
• Importance: Highly viscous materials may become less viscous at higher temperatures and spread
rapidly
• Vapor Pressure: The pressure characteristic at any given temperature of a vapor in
equilibrium with its liquid or solid form
• Example: Vapor pressure of acetone is 400mm; that of Xylene is 6.72mm. The higher the number the
faster it will evaporate
• Importance: Materials with high vapor pressure can create toxic atmospheres within work areas
• Volatility: This refers to how readily a liquid will vaporize or evaporate
• Example: Gasoline is a volatile liquid
• Importance: A volatile liquid can give off vapors which may be toxic, explosive and/or be an asphyxiant.
 Page 11

PHYSICAL & CHEMICAL PROPERTIES,

• Vapor Density: Relative weight of gas or vapor as compared to air which has a vapor
density of 1
• Example: Methane gas has a vapor density of 0.6, and will rise, while FREON 113 has vapor density
of 1.6
• Importance: Vapors / gases may be toxic, explosive and / or asphyxiant
• Flammability: The ease in which a material (gas, liquid or solid) will ignite
• Example: Gasoline and acryolnitrile are flammable liquids, while propane is a flammable gas
• Importance: The flammability of a substance is important to know to determine potential for a fire
• Flash Point: Minimum temperatures at which a liquid or volatile solid will produce
gases/vapors to form ignitable mixture
• Example: Gasoline has a flash point of -45 degree F while diesel fuel has a flash point of 120 degree
F.
 Page 12

PHYSICAL & CHEMICAL PROPERTIES, CONTINUED

Flammable and Explosive Limits
• Lower Flammable Limit (LFL), or lower explosive limit (LEL), is the lowest concentration of air-fuel
mixture at which a gas or vapor can ignite.
• Upper Flammable Limit (UFL), or upper explosive limit (UEL), is the highest concentration of air-fuel
mixture that can be ignited.
 Page 13

CHEMICAL EFFECTS – HEALTH HAZARDS

• The degree of harm caused by exposure to a toxic chemical generally increases with exposure
level, but is also dependent upon the length of exposure, and the person’s fitness
• Acute effect - An adverse effect resulting from a single exposure with symptoms shortly after exposure occurs
• Chronic effects - An adverse effect resulting from repeated low level exposure, with symptoms that develop
slowly over a long period of time or that recur frequently
• Types of adverse reactions:
 Irritants
 Corrosives
 Allergic Sensitizers
 Asphyxiants
 Systemic Poisons
 Blood Toxins, Neurotoxins, Hepatotoxins, Nephrotoxins
 CHEMICAL EXPOSURE LIMITS

• Regulations require that the maximum quantity of a chemical that a person can be
exposed to without suffering adverse health effects be established
• Generally defined two ways:
 Permissible Exposure Limits (PEL) – is a legal limit in the United States for exposure of an
employee to a substance or physical agent.
 Established by OSHA
 Expressed in in parts per million (ppm) or milligrams per cubic meter (mg/m3)
 Threshold limit value (TLV) – defines the reasonable level to which a worker can be exposed
without adverse health effects.
 Time Weighted Average (TLV-TWA)
 Short Term Exposure Limit (TLV-STEL)
 Ceiling (TLV-C)
 Page 15

ROUTES OF ENTRY

• Absorption through contact with the skin or eyes

• Rate of absorption is influenced by the health of the skin and the properties of the
chemical
• Skin that is dry or cracked or has lacerations offers less resistance
• Inhalation through breathing gases, vapors, mists or dusts
• Chemicals enter and irritate the nose, air passages and lungs
• Can become deposited in the airways or be absorbed through the lungs into the
bloodstream.
• Ingestion
• Chemicals get in or on food, cigarettes, utensils or hands and are swallowed.
• Substances can be absorbed into the blood and then transported to the rest of the
body.
• The route of exposure can determine whether or not the chemical
substance has an effect
•
 Page 16

CONTROL STRATEGIES
Hazardous materials can be used safely in workplaces if adequate control strategies
are implemented to prevent exposure to those chemicals.
More
Hierarchy of Controls: Effective

• Elimination or Substitution – seeks to eliminate the hazard using such strategies

as removal from the workplace or substitution of a safer chemical
• Engineering Controls – seeks to control the hazard at the source by using such
strategies as total enclosure or ventilation
• Administrative or Work Practice Controls - changes work practices to reduce
or eliminate exposure through work breaks and rotating work shifts
• Personal Protective Equipment – PPE is the last choice because it does nothing Less
Effective
to reduce the levels of contamination
 Page 17

HAZARD COMMUNICATION PROGRAM

REQUIREMENTS
• Identify and list hazardous chemicals in the workplace
• Obtain Safety Data Sheets (SDS's) and labels for each hazardous chemical as required by
the Global Harmonized System (GHS)
• Implement a written HazCom program, including labels, SDS's, and employee training
• Communicate hazard information to employees
CHEMICALS LIST
PRODUCT NAME SIGNAL WORD LOCATION OF USE
(Danger, Warning, Caution, (Shop, Field, Milk house,
Corrosive, Irritant, etc.) Farm equipment, etc.)

Example: Gasoline Danger/Flammable Shop and Farm Equipment

Written
Hazard
Communication
Program
 LABEL AND SAFETY DATA SHEETS (SDS)
GUIDING PRINCIPLES

• Information should be conveyed in more than one way

• Comprehensibility of the components of the system should take into account existing studies and
evidence gained from testing
• Phrases used to indicate the degree (severity) of hazard should be consistent across different
hazard types
• Format and Color of the label elements, and SDS format should be standardized
 LABELS

• The Working Group identified approximately 35 different types of information

currently required on labels by different systems
• To harmonize, key information elements need to be identified
• Additional harmonization may occur on other elements in time, in particular, for
precautionary statements
 Page 20

LABELS
REQUIRED ELEMENTS

• Symbols & Pictograms

• Signal Words
• Physical, Health, Environmental Hazard Statements
• Precautionary Statements
• Product Name or Identifier
• Supplier Information (Name, Address, Phone)
 Page 21

LABELS
SYMBOLS & PICTOGRAMS

• Convey health, physical and environmental hazard information, assigned to a GHS hazard class and
category

• Pictograms include harmonized hazard symbols plus other graphic elements, such as
borders, background patterns or colors, which are intended to convey specific information
• A black frame may be used for shipments within one country
• Where a transport pictogram appears, the GHS pictogram for the same hazard should not
appear
Page 22

LABELS
GHS SYMBOLS & PICTOGRAMS
Page 23

LABELS
GHS SYMBOLS & PICTOGRAMS
• Explosives
• Self Reactive
• Organic Peroxides

• Flammables
• Self Reactive
• Pyrophoric
• Self-Heating
• Emits Flammable Gas
• Organic Peroxides

• Oxidizers
Page 24

LABELS
GHS SYMBOLS & PICTOGRAMS
• Gases Under Pressure

• Corrosives

• Carcinogen

• Respiratory Sensitizer

• Reproductive Toxicity

• Target Organ Toxicity

• Mutagenicity

• Aspiration Toxicity
Page 25

LABELS
GHS SYMBOLS & PICTOGRAMS
 Acute Toxicity

 Irritant
 Dermal Sensitizer
 Acute Toxicity (Harmful)
 Narcotic Effects
 Respiratory Tract Irritation

 Environmental Toxicity (Aquatic)

Page 26

LABELS
TRANSPORT
SYMBOLS &
PICTOGRAMS
Page 27
LABELS
TRANSPORT SYMBOLS & PICTOGRAMS

 Explosive Divisions 1.1, 1.2, 1.3

 Explosive Division 1.5

 Explosive Division 1.6

 Explosive Division 1.7

Page 28

LABELS
TRANSPORT SYMBOLS & PICTOGRAMS
 Flammable Liquid

 Flammable Gas

 Flammable Aerosol

 Substances, which in contact with water, emit flammable gases (Dangerous When Wet)

 Oxidizing Gases

 Oxidizing Liquids

 Oxidizing Solids

 Compressed Gases
Page 29
LABELS
TRANSPORT SYMBOLS & PICTOGRAMS

• Acute Toxicity (Poison) – Oral, Dermal, Inhalation

• Pyrophoric (Spontaneously Combustible)

• Self-Heating Substances

• Corrosive

• Organic Peroxides
Page 30

LABELS
SIGNAL WORDS

• The signal word indicates the relative degree of severity of a hazard. The signal words
used in GHS are:
• "Danger" for the more severe hazards
• "Warning" for the less severe hazards

• Signal words are standardized and assigned to hazard categories within endpoints
• Some lower level hazard categories do not use signal words
Page 31

LABELS
HAZARD STATEMENTS

• Hazard statements are standardized and assigned phrases describing the hazard(s) as
determined by hazard classification
• An appropriate statement for each GHS hazard should be included on the label for
products possessing more than one hazard
• Examples:
• “Highly flammable liquid and vapor”
• “Toxic in contact with skin”
• “Harmful to aquatic life”
 Page 32

• Phrases (and/or pictograms) describing

recommended measures required to minimize
or prevent adverse effects resulting from
exposure to a hazardous product, or improper
LABELS storage or handling of a hazardous product

PRECAUTIONARY • Five types of precautionary statements:

STATEMENTS • General
• Prevention
• Response (in case of spillage or exposure)
• Storage
• Disposal
 • Chemical identity of the substance
• For mixtures and alloys, chemical identities of all
ingredients/alloying elements contributing to the
hazard of the mixture/alloy (as specified by the
LABELS competent authority)

PRODUCT NAME • Proper shipping name (for substances/mixtures

covered by the UN Model Regulations)
OR IDENTIFIER • For substances/mixtures used exclusively in the
workplace, a competent authority may authorize
chemical identities to be included only in the SDS

Page 33
 Page 34

LABELS • Name, address and telephone number of the

SUPPLIER manufacturer or supplier of the chemical
IDENTIFICATION substance/mixture
 • The GHS hazard pictograms, signal word and
hazard statements should be located together
on the label
LABELS • The actual label format or layout is not specified
ARRANGEMENT in GHS
• National authorities may choose to specify
where information should appear on the label or
allow supplier discretion

Page 35
Page 36

LABELS
EXAMPLE OF
ARRANGEMENT
(1)
Page 37

LABELS
EXAMPLE OF
ARRANGEMENT
(2)
 Page 38

• Provide comprehensive information of a

substance/mixture for use in the workplace
• Information provided enables the employer:
• To develop worker protection measures specific
to the exposures and workplace environment

SAFETY DATA • To consider measures to protect the

environment
SHEETS (SDS)
• Applies to:
• All mixtures/substances meeting GHS criteria
• Other substances not meeting GHS criteria but
containing hazardous substances in certain
concentrations (as required by competent
authority)
 Page 39

SAFETY DATA SHEETS

SECTIONS • The following 16 categories should be presented:

Hazard(s) Composition/informa Accidental release

Identification First-aid measures Firefighting measures
identification tion on ingredients measures

Exposure
Physical and chemical Stability and Toxicological Ecological
Handling and Storage controls/personal
properties reactivity information information
protection

Disposal Transport Regulatory

Other information
considerations information information
Page 40

SAFETY DATA SHEETS

SECTION 1 – IDENTIFICATION

• Identification of the substance of mixture

• GHS identifier
• Other unique identifiers

• Supplier details
• Name, full address and phone number(s)

• Recommended use of the chemical and restrictions on use

• Emergency contact information
Page 41

SAFETY DATA SHEETS

SECTION 2 – HAZARD IDENTIFICATION

• Classification of the substance or mixture and any national or regional information

• GHS labels elements, including precautionary statements
• Other hazards which do not result in classification
Page 42

SAFETY DATA SHEETS

SECTION 3• - Substances
COMPOSITION/INFORMATION ON INGREDIENTS
• Chemical identity
• Common name, synonyms
• CAS number and/or other unique identifiers
• Impurities and stabilizing additives which are themselves classified and which
contribute to the classification of the substance

• Mixtures (for all hazardous ingredients)

• Chemical identity
• Identification number
• Concentration range
 Page 43

SAFETY DATA SHEETS

SECTION 4 - FIRST AID MEASURES

• Description
• Should be subdivided by the different routes of exposure (i.e. inhalation, absorbsion, and ingestion)

• Most important symptoms/effects, acute and delayed

• If needed, indication of,
• Immediate medical attention
• Special treatment
Page 44

SAFETY DATA SHEETS

SECTION 5 – FIREFIGHTING MEASURES

• Suitable (and unsuitable) extinguishing media

• Specific hazards arising from the chemical (i.e. nature of any hazardous combustion
products)
• Special protective equipment and precautions for firefighters
Page 45

SAFETY DATA SHEETS

SECTION 6 – ACCIDENTAL RELEASE MEASURES

• Personal precautions, protective equipment and emergency procedures

• Environmental precautions
• Methods and materials for containment and cleaning up
Page 46

SAFETY DATA SHEETS

SECTION 7 – HANDLING AND STORAGE

• Precautions for safe handling

• Conditions for safe storage, including any incompatibilities
Page 47

SAFETY DATA SHEETS

SECTION 8 – EXPOSURE CONTROLS/PERSONAL PROTECTION

• Control parameters (i.e. occupational exposure limit values or biological limit values)
• Appropriate engineering controls
• Individual protection measures including personal protective equipment (PPE)
 Page 48

SAFETY DATA SHEETS

SECTION 9 – PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES

Appearance Upper/Lower Flammability or Explosive

Limits
Odor
Vapor Pressure
Odor Threshold
Vapor Density
pH
Relative Density
Melting Point/Freezing Point
Solubility(ies)
Initial Boiling Point and Boiling Range
Partition Coefficient: n-octanol/water
Flash Point
Evaporation Rate Auto-ignition temperature
Decomposition Temperature
Flammability (solid, gas)
Page 49

SAFETY DATA SHEETS

SECTION 10 – STABILITY AND REACTIVITY

• Reactivity
• Chemical stability
• Possibility of hazardous reactions
• Conditions to avoid
• Incompatible materials
• Hazard decomposition products
 Page 50

SAFETY DATA SHEETS

SECTION 11 – TOXICOLOGICAL INFORMATION

• Concise but complete and comprehensible description of the various toxicological (health)
effects and available data used to identify those effects, including:
• Information on likely routes of exposure (inhalation, ingestion, absorbsion)
• Symptoms related to physical, chemical and toxicological characteristics
• Delayed and immediate effects and also chronic effects from short and long-term
exposure
• Numerical measures of toxicity (such as acute toxicity estimates)
Page 51

SAFETY DATA SHEETS

SECTION 12 – ECOLOGICAL INFORMATION

• Ecotoxicity (aquatic and terrestrial, where available)

• Persistence and degradability
• Bio-accumulative potential
• Mobility in soil
• Other adverse effects
Page 52

SAFETY DATA SHEETS

SECTION 13 – DISPOSAL CONSIDERATIONS

• Disposal methods
• Description of waste residues and information on their safe handling and methods of
disposal, including disposal of any contaminated packaging
Page 53

SAFETY DATA SHEETS

SECTION 14 – TRANSPORT INFORMATION

• UN number
• UN proper shipping name
• Transport hazard classes
• Packing group, if applicable
• Marine pollutant (Yes/No)
• Special precautions which a user needs to be aware of or needs to comply with in
connection with transport or conveyance either within or outside their premises
Page 54

SAFETY DATA SHEETS

SECTION 15 – REGULATORY INFORMATION

• Any regulatory information not provided elsewhere in the SDS

• Safety, health and environmental regulations specific for the chemical/mixture in question
Page 55

SAFETY DATA SHEETS

SECTION 16 – OTHER INFORMATION

• Date of preparation of the latest version of the SDS

• Any indication of changes made to the previous revision
• Key/legend to abbreviations and acronyms used within the SDS
• Key literature references and sources for data use to compile the SDS
 Page 56

IN THE EVENT OF EXPOSURE

• Always read the label and MSDS for every chemical you work with

• Emergency procedures may include

Eyes: Flush with water for 15 minutes
Skin: Remove contaminated clothing and wash affected areas with soap and water,
Inhalation: Move to fresh air
Swallowing: Get immediate emergency medical assistance

• Do you know where eyewash stations, emergency showers, and first-aid kits are
located?

• Do you know how to use them?

 SUMMARY
• The HazCom Standard requires a written program, material safety data sheet, proper chemical labeling and
training
• Chemical can enter the body through absorption, inhalation, and ingestion and at excessive levels have severe
toxic effects
• Hazard control strategies include elimination or substitution, engineering and administrative controls and
personal protective equipment
• PPE is the last choice because it does nothing to reduce the hazard or level of potential contamination
• Safety Data Sheets must include information on physical and chemical characteristics, health effects, exposure
limits, carcinogenicity, and identification of the organization responsible for preparing the sheet
• Safety Data Sheets must be readily accessible to all employees in their work area/work site
• Chemical labels must include the identity of the chemical, specific health hazards including target organs