Hazard Communication Standard Changes

Standard did not include categories for most of the health hazards covered. OSHA included general provisions for hazard classification and Appendices A and B to address criteria for each health or physical effect. 

Under the original standard, the label preparer provided the identity of the chemical and the appropriate hazard warnings. The preparer determined the method to convey the information. The revised standard specifies what information to provide for each hazard class and category (Table 7.9). 

The definitions of hazard will change to provide specific criteria for classification of health and physical hazards as well as classification of mixtures. These specific criteria will help to ensure that evaluations of hazardous effects remain consistent across manufacturers. This will result in more accurate labels and SDSs. Chemical manufacturers and importers must provide a label that includes a harmonized signal word, pictogram, and hazard statement for each hazard class and category. Precautionary statements must also be provided. Finally, the SDS will contain a specified 16-section format. 

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Hazard evaluation will be changing in the future. Right-to-know legislation, including the OSHA Hazards Communication Standard, will place great emphasis on the availability of hazard information. In this context, it is reasonable to assume that the hazards information supplied will be complete and accurate. But these laws will not quantitatively increase the amount of hazards information available and care must be taken not to assume that if certain hazards are not specified, they do not exist. 

Managing and Communicating Changes to the Hazard Communication Standard... 

First, determine what needs to be audited. You might want to audit specific occupations (e.g., machinist), tasks (e.g., welding), topic (e.g., electrical), team (e.g., rescue), operator (e.g., crane operator), part of the worksite (e.g., loading/unloading), compliance with an OSHA regulation (e.g.. Hazard Communication Standard), or the complete worksite. You may want to perform an audit if any of the previous items or activities have unique identifiable hazards, new tasks involved, increased risk potential, changes in job procedures, areas with unique operations, or areas where comparisons can be made regarding safety and health factors. 

I (iv) The employer shall ensure that bags or containers of contaminated protective clothing or equipment that are removed from change rooms for laundering, cleaning, maintenance, or disposal shall be labeled in accordance with the requirements of the Hazard Communication Standard, 1910.1200. 

Consider the GHS as a living document with expectations of relevant updates on a two-year cycle. OSHA anticipates future updates of the Hazard Communication Standard to address minor terminology changes and clarify the final rule text also, there will likely be additional rule-making efforts to address major changes. 

Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) has evolved, mostly for convenience, into a document that provides data in greater detail than the standard requires. And many more changes are in store, as OSHA plans to finalize its proposed rule to modify the current Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) to conform to the UN Globally Harmonized System (GHS) for classification and labeling of chemicals. 

A major change in the OSHA regulations for chemical manufacturers took effect in 1985 and 1986. This regulation, called the hazard communication standard, requires manufacturers to inform their employees about the nature of the chemical hazards they face. This standard has become known as a right-to-know law. The OSHA standard has recently been expanded to apply to all employers, rather than only the manufacturing organi-... 

Recent changes to the OSHA Hazard Communication Standard require that MSDS transition to safety data sheets (SDS). The difference is that an SDS is constructed and formatted to conform to the globally harmonized system (CHS), which mandates all SDSs have 16 standardized sections arranged in a strict order. Manufacturers are required to produce the MSDS/SDS and, along with distributors, are required to provide them to purchasers of their products. 

Review the March 26, 2012, changes to the Hazard Communication standard, which incorporate the GHS (Globally Harmonized System) for classification and labehng of chemicals. There is a phase-in period (shown at the end of this section) during which time employers can comply with either the old Hazcom standard or the new one, or both. To view the full text of the Hazcom/GHS changes, visit www.jj keller. com/hazcom. 

Performance-oriented packaging standards changes to classification, hazard communication, packaging and handling requirements based on UN standards and agency initiative. Fed. Reg. 55, 52402-52729 (1990)... 

But performance alone does not constitute expertise. Expert miners can identify hazards because they have experienced and observed hazards. They have analyzed the consequences. They can interpret standards and regulations, understand the systems in which they work, assess changes in the environment, and communicate these changes to colleagues and management. 

Operating procedures shouid aiways be reviewed as part of the MOC process. There should also be a regular review of the procedures (the frequency depending on the hazards of the process covered). The standard does not specify a specific time period for routine procedure review. It su ests that one of the roles of the hazards analysis team is to help define this schedule. The communication of changes to procedures will generally be incorporated into the training program. 

In this paper we want to show, how we perform safety programmes for our voice communication systems, how we try to reduce our efforts with maximum output in spite of the difficulties of different business areas with different standards (which occasionally change quite substantially over time). This includes the presentation of our safety management system, hazard log, internal trainings, safety analyses and the production of safety cases. 

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