Communication placards

I. Hazard communication within plant-consistent system of signage, placarding, content labeling, etc. planned facilities for MSDS access... 

The needs of the intended target audience influence what label components are used. In transport , for example, the label, placard, and transport documents are all used. In the workplace , the label is one element of a multicomponent system of chemical hazard communication, the other elements being the MSDS and training. In communicating the potential hazard of consumer products , the label plays the major role in providing the user with information about all the potential health, environmental, and physical hazards of the product and advice on using the product safely. 

A language barrier should not stand in the way of hazard communication. In some ways, a precedent has already been set vis-a-vis the four-digit placard. This placard, without the use of words, communicates the symbol, color and class number. The four-digit UN number simply identifies the specific commodity. Is the white flame on a red background with Class Number 3 any less a Flammable Liquid label than with the use of those words Or, is the green label with the white cylinder and Class Number 2 any less a Non-Flammable Gas There will be those who will object to the additional training necessary in a world without words. It is suggested that such a step will not be as difficult as it may appear, and further, it will promote safety and economic benefits in both international and domestic trade. 

More than one year after withdrawal of the Hazard Identification proposed standard, the new proposed standard (standard) entitled Hazard Communication, was published in the Federal Register, Volume 47, No. 5, Friday, March 19,1982. It proposes that chemical manufacturers assess the hazards of chemicals which they produce and that all employers in SIC Codes 20 through 39 (Division D, Standard Industrial Classification Manual) provide information to their employees about the hazardous chemicals which they use by meems of a hazard communication program, labels, placards, material safety data sheets, and information and training. 

This steuidard requires labels for all containers, placards for areas and buildings and a MSDS available in the work place. It briefly refers to hazard training for employees but does not present a program to accomplish this portion of the standard. In that sense this standard falls short of being a complete communication system. In spite of this, it remains a good workable compromise between a hazard alert system such as NFPA 704 and the LAPI-based ANSI system which relies primarily upon worker-oriented label statements. 

As described earlier, the system consists of a number of visual "elements"(labels. placards, tags, etc.) for communicating with the worker This visuai communication system is based on a four-part, four-color square (or five-part) four-color square, if the company chooses to include either the raw material codes or the specific chemical s name on the identification elements. These squares will appear on or nearby the raw material package in order to communicate to the worker the hazards associated with that raw material. The specifics of these elements are as follows ... 

In a nation that relies on transportation as heavily as the United States, the DOT assumes a variety of responsibilities. Principally, it strives to ensure transportation safety and protect consumer interests. One way it fulfills this mission is to require that cargo vessels are properly placarded and shipping papers properly filled out. Hazardous materials markings, labels, placards, and shipping papers serve to communicate the hazards of the materials being transported. Hazardous material communication ... 

A simple identification system used to communicate to workers the hazards of materials. HMIS is somewhat similar to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 704 Hazardous Material placard, which is used for emergency response incidents. Instead of the NFPA diamond shape, which many feared would be confused with the placarding system, the HMIS uses a four-color bar system. The top bar indicates the level of health hazard. The second bar from the top is red for Flammability the third bar from the top is yellow for Reactivity, which is used in the second edition, while Physical Hazard is used in the third edition of the guidance and white at the... 

HRCQ shipments have special communication requirements including special placards (49 CFR 172.507) and the exclusive use-like instructions of 49 173.22(c). Highway routes are limited to preferred routes, and pre- and postshipment carrier reporting requirements apply as described in 49 CFR 397.101. 

There are other situations for which schools must plan. They include dismissal and parent/guardian pick-up procedures. Usually only custodial parents and guardians are allowed to pick up a child from school. However, most schools allow the custodial parent/guardian to list other authorized adults for pickup. Some schools even issue vehicle placards to help determine whether the vehicle for parent pickups at the end of the day is driven by an authorized person. Another good practice is to ask students and train them to indicate whether the adult they are being released to is the right person. School buses also now may have radios connected to a central communication point This helps when parents are not visible at a drop off point. Today many districts require elementary children to have a parent meet the child at the bus stop. School bus radios also aid in times of mechanical failure, vehicle accidents, and unexpected delays. 

Placards are designed in accordance with federal regulations and, like hazard labels, take the form of a diamond square-on-point using colors symbols class numbers and, frequently, warning words to communicate the potential hazards... 

Packages, containers, rail cars, or similar vessels holding hazardous materials are required to be marked, placarded, or labeled according to hazardous materials regulations (HMR). These containers must retain the labels until the hazardous materials are removed. This requirement comes from 1910.1201, Retention of DOT Markings, Placards, and Labels, an OSHA rule related to the Hazard Communication Standard. 

Another form of communication is the use of hazard warning placards. The posting of placards or signs within a laboratory alerts the employees to safety and health concerns as well as rapid response in the event of accidents. 

Placards are designed in accordance with UN standards and, like hazard labels, take the form of a square on point (diamondshaped) utilizing colors, symbols, and frequently warning words to communicate the potential hazards of the compressed gas. The UN class number, 2 for compressed gases, is usually shown in the lower point of the placard. Some regulations require that subsidiary hazards also be identified by placards, and in this case the UN class number is omitted. 

This subpart also covers hazard communication, bloodbome pathogens, ionizing radiation, placarding, and laboratories chemical safety. 

The Hazard Communication Standard, also known as the workers right-to-know rule, became effective in November, 1985. The rule requires manufacturers, chemical importers and all employers in the manufacturing sector (Standard Industrial Classification or SIC codes 20 through 39) to assess the hazards of chemical in their workplaces and to provide information to employees concerning their exposure to hazardous substances. This means of hazard communication includes labels, placards, material safety data sheets (MSDSs), training, and access to written medical and other records. In addition, distributors of hazardous chemicals are required to ensure that containers they distribute are properly labeled and that... 

Chemical manufacturers, importers, distributors, and employers who become newly aware of any significant information regarding the hazards of a chemical must revise the labels for the chemical within six months of becoming aware of the new information and must ensure that labels on containers of hazardous chemicals shipped after that time contain the new information. OSHA says that chemical manufacturers, importers, distributors, and employers must be in compliance with all modified provisions of the Hazard Communication Standard no later than June 1, 2015, except Distributors have until December 1, 2015, to ensure that containers labeled by the chemical manufacturer or importer are not shipped unless the label has been modified to comply with GHS format for container labels. All employers have until June 1,2016, to update any alternative in-house labeling such as signs, placards, process sheets, batch tickets, operating procedures, or other written materials used to convey hazard information ... 

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