OSHA’s HazCom Final Rule

It’s official … OSHA’s Hazard Communication (HazCom) final rule — which was just published in the Federal Register on May 20 — will take effect on July 19, 2024. OSHA first published proposed changes to the HazCom Standard on February 16, 2021, with public hearings held in September 2021.

The revisions are intended to:

• Align the HazCom Standard with the United Nations Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) Revision 7 (currently it aligns with Revision 3)
• Address issues that arose during implementation of the 2012 HazCom Standard update
• Provide better alignment with other U.S. agencies and international trading partners

Timing

There are staggered compliance dates for chemical manufacturers, importers, and distributors evaluating substances (January 19, 2026) and mixtures (July 19, 2027). Employers have six months beyond those dates (July 20, 2026, for substances and January 19, 2028, for mixtures) to update any alternative workplace labeling, update their HazCom program, and provide any additional employee training for newly identified physical, health, or other hazards.

Overview of changes

• New and revised definitions
  • New definitions for bulk shipment, combustible dust, gas, immediate outer package, liquid, physician or other licensed health care professional, released for shipment, and solid
  • Revised definitions for exposure or exposed, hazardous chemical, and physical hazard
• Labeling requirements for certain very small containers and bulk containers
  • This applies to certain very small containers where the chemical manufacturer, importer, or distributor can demonstrate that it’s not feasible to use pull-out labels, fold-back labels, or tags containing the full label information required at 1910.1200(f)(1).
  • The label for bulk shipments of hazardous chemicals may be on the immediate container or may be transmitted with the shipping papers, bills of lading, or other technological or electronic means so that it’s immediately available to workers in printed form on the receiving end of shipment. (“Bulk shipment” means any hazardous chemical transported where the mode of transportation (vehicle) comprises the immediate container (i.e., contained in tanker truck, rail car, or intermodal container).)
• Significant changes to the flammable gas hazard class
  • These include the addition of a new hazard class (desensitized explosives) and several new hazard categories (unstable gases and pyrophoric gases in the Flammable Gases class and nonflammable aerosols in the Aerosols class).
• Revised health hazard statements and precautionary statements in some cases
  • Revised health hazard definitions, updated Skin corrosion/irritation and Serious eye damage/eye irritation chapters, general updates to hazard classes.
• Updates to Sections 9 and 11 of the Safety Data Sheet (SDS)
  • Information in these two sections is reorganized