If you haven’t heard about HazCom 2012, you should probably skip this blog post and go straight to OSHA’s website. HazCom 2012 is here, and the first deadline for compliance is December 1, 2013!

HazCom 2012 is OSHA’s wholesale revision to hazards communication standards. The revision was designed to bring OSHA’s standards in line with another, larger, global set of standards called the The Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals, or GHS. GHS was conceived in 1992 at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. The program was born out of a need to standardize and “harmonize” the classification and labeling of chemicals around the world.

OSHA began its efforts to align hazard communication standards with GHS in 2006, and released the new standards in 2012. Along with the new standards is a series of deadlines for compliance.

The new standards are far-reaching, and affect everyone from Fisher Tank’s field crews building welded steel storage tanks and others in heavy construction to dentists, teachers, food service workers, transportation workers, retail employees and more. A quick search found extensive information about  how the updated rules of HazCom 2012 related to a wide variety of employers and employees, including groups like retail companies, home builders, teachers, service providers, and many more. The list below offers links to just a few sites that share some other industries’ perspectives on the new standard:

Retail Leaders Industry Association

National Home Builders Association

Lab Manager Magazine

American Society of Safety Engineers

OSHA For Dentistry

National Science Teachers Association

OSHA.gov is the ultimate authority on all things HazCom 2012, and provides extensive info and resources. For a quick look at what’s changed and some tips on what you need to do, download our FREE, quick reference guide to HazCom 2012 below!

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