What Does HazCom Stand For?

HazCom is short for OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard, 29 CFR 1910.1200. It requires that chemical hazards be classified and communicated to workers through labels, Safety Data Sheets and training.

Is HazCom the Same as GHS?

No. GHS is the United Nations’ international system for classifying and labeling chemicals. HazCom is the U.S. regulation that adopts GHS and makes it enforceable in American workplaces.

How Often Is HazCom Training Required?

Employees must be trained when they’re first assigned to work with hazardous chemicals and whenever a new chemical hazard is introduced into their work area.

Do Secondary Containers Need Labels?

Yes, in most cases. The one exception is a portable container filled from a labeled container and used immediately by the same employee who transferred the chemical.

How Many GHS Pictograms Does OSHA Require?

The GHS has nine pictograms. OSHA requires eight of them. The environmental pictogram is optional under HazCom.

What’s the Difference Between HazCom and WHMIS?

Both are based on the GHS. HazCom is the U.S. standard enforced by OSHA, and WHMIS is Canada’s equivalent, enforced by Health Canada and the provincial regulators.

OSHA HazCom Guide: Hazard Communication

A Practical Guide to the Hazard Communication Standard

Every year, millions of American workers handle chemicals that can burn, poison, ignite or cause long-term illness. OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard, known as HazCom, makes sure those workers know what they’re working with and how to protect themselves. It’s often called the “Right to Know” law. It’s also consistently one of OSHA’s most frequently cited standards.

This guide covers what HazCom requires, who it applies to, how GHS labels and pictograms work, and what changed in the 2024 update. Free training resources are listed further down the page.

What Is OSHA HazCom?

The Hazard Communication Standard was first issued in 1983. In 2012 OSHA aligned it with the GHS, replacing the old MSDS format with the standardized 16-section Safety Data Sheet and introducing the familiar red-diamond pictograms. On May 20, 2024, OSHA published a further update aligning HazCom with GHS Revision 7, effective July 19, 2024.

HazCom rests on a simple principle: workers have both a need and a right to know the hazards of the chemicals they work with and how to protect themselves from them.

Who Does HazCom Apply To?

HazCom applies to two groups:

Chemical Manufacturers, Importers and Distributors

They must evaluate the hazards of the chemicals they produce or import and pass that information downstream on labels and SDSs.

Employers Whose Workers May Be Exposed

Under normal working conditions or in a foreseeable emergency. That covers hospitals, schools, universities, municipalities, construction sites, mines, manufacturing plants and offices that store cleaning chemicals.

The Five Core Elements of HazCom Compliance

Hazard Classification
Manufacturers and importers determine each chemical’s physical and health hazards using the GHS criteria.
Labels
Containers carry labels that communicate hazards at a glance.
Safety Data Sheets
Each hazardous chemical has a 16-section SDS that is readily accessible to employees on every shift.
Employee Training
Workers are trained when they’re first assigned and whenever a new chemical hazard is introduced.
Written Hazard Communication Program
This document explains how the workplace handles labels, SDSs and training. It also includes a list of the hazardous chemicals present.

Understanding the GHS Pictograms

Each GHS pictogram is a black symbol on a white background inside a red diamond border. Together they let a worker recognize a hazard in seconds, even without reading the label.

Health Hazard

Carcinogen, mutagen, reproductive toxin, respiratory sensitizer, target organ toxicity, aspiration hazard

Flame

Flammables, pyrophorics, self-heating, emits flammable gas, self-reactives, organic peroxides

Exclamation Mark

Irritant, skin sensitizer, acute toxicity (harmful), narcotic effects

Gas Cylinder

Gases under pressure

Corrosion

Skin corrosion or burns, eye damage, corrosive to metals

Exploding Bomb

Explosives, self-reactives, organic peroxides

Flame Over Circle

Oxidizers

Skull and Crossbones

Acute toxicity (fatal or toxic)

Environment

Aquatic toxicity (non-mandatory under OSHA)

Supplier Labels vs. Secondary Labels

Supplier Labels

Every container shipped by a manufacturer, importer or distributor must carry a label with six elements:

Product identifier
Signal word (“Danger” for more severe hazards, “Warning” for less severe ones)
Hazard statement(s)
Pictogram(s)
Precautionary statement(s)
Name, address and phone number of the responsible party

Secondary (Workplace) Labels

When a chemical is transferred into another container, such as a spray bottle, a jug or a process tank, the employer must make sure that container is labeled too. A workplace label can either repeat the full supplier label information, or show the product identifier plus words, pictures or symbols that, together with other information immediately available to employees, convey the general hazards.

One Exception: a portable container doesn’t need a label when it’s filled from a labeled container and used immediately by the same employee who transferred the chemical.

What Changed in the 2024 HazCom Update?

Classification criteria were revised for flammable gases, aerosols and desensitized explosives.
A new hazard category was added: “chemicals under pressure.”
Small containers have new, practical labeling options.
The trade secret rules now require hazard information to be disclosed more clearly.
Precautionary statements were updated.

Compliance Deadlines (as Extended by OSHA):

	Substances	Mixtures
Manufacturers, importers, distributors	May 19, 2026	November 19, 2027
Employers (labels, program, training)	November 20, 2026	May 19, 2028