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OSHA’s New HazCom Standard to be Published on May 20, 2024
Compliance & Regulatory NewsNewsOSHA

OSHA’s New HazCom Standard to be Published on May 20, 2024

We are excited to announce that the updated OSHA Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) will be published in the Federal Register on May 20, 2024. 

This significant update aligns the HCS with the 7th revision of the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). We’ve been anxiously anticipating this release since OSHA published the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) back in 2021. For OSHA’s rulemaking process, you can review the complete updated standard in its pre publication form here: https://www.federalregister.gov/public-inspection/2024-08568/hazard-communication-standard.

OSHA HazCom Standard Key Enforcement Dates:

What: OSHA is amending the Hazard Communication Standard (HCS). HazCom now follows GHS, primarily Revision 7, providing better alignment with international trading partners, as well as U.S. agencies.

Why: OSHA has set revisions to help strengthen the effectiveness of the HCS, further ensuring employee hazcom clearly defines chemical hazards in order to reduce risks of illnesses and injuries.

Substances: Compliance required by January 19, 2026 

Mixtures: Compliance required by July 20, 2026 

Highlights of the New Standard 

  • Aerosols Category 3: Introduction of a new hazard class and label elements.
  • The Flammable Gases hazard class has been updated with new subcategories:
    • Category 1A
    • Category 1B
    • Addition of Pyrophoric gas, chemically unstable gas (Category A and B) within Category 1A.
  • Desensitized Explosives: New hazard class and label elements.
  • Label Updates: New label elements for all flammable gas categories and modifications to label updating requirements.
  • SDS Content Requirements. Significant updates include:
    • Section 3: Prescribed concentration ranges.
    • Section 9: Data requirements and format changes.
    • Section 11: Inclusion of “interactive effects”.
    • Section 14: Renaming of the subsection to ‘Transport in bulk according to IMO instruments’.
  • Small Container Labels: Prescribed requirements for labels on small containers (e.g., pull-out, fold-back, tags).

TotalSDS is ready to assist you with your SDS updates, and we offer authoring software to simplify the process. Contact us or schedule a demo today! 

osha hazcom standard has been revised with NPRM and HCS 7. Find specifics on GHS Revision 7 and updates here

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