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September 14, 2015

The importance of proper hazard communication training

Be sure your business follows the latest  guidelines released by OSHA.

Be sure your business follows the latest guidelines released by OSHA.

Instilling and maintaining proper safety instructions for employees is critical for the workplace. Without safety in mind, workers can be at risk for a range of serious injuries, and even death in some cases.
With the proper training and educational information available, your workforce can remain productive and safe.
The changes to OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard back in 2013, are still in the process of fully rolling out. The final related deadline is less than a year away, on June 1, 2016. By this date employers must “update alternative workplace labeling and hazard communication programs as necessary, and provide additional employee training for newly identified physical or health hazards.
This final deadline comes on the heels of other requirements mandating changes to chemical labels, Safety Data Sheets, and training on both.
In your business, leadership and management teams should not only be aware of these changes, but must be implementing it as well. Some of these changes include:

  • A revised classification of chemicals
  • A standard label process for hazardous containers
  • Definitions of chemicals and their make up
  • General inspection guidelines
  • New formatting of content safety data sheets
  • Written hazard communication in terms of labels, warnings and citations

The changes must be fully implemented by June 1, 2016.
One of the major issues highlighted in this change, in addition to those mentioned above, is the importance of employee training, including temporary employees.
Although the training of temporary employees may not seem like a crucial part of the overall transition, too often these workers are left out of the loop in terms of important safety information and changes.
According to the newest guidelines, citations will be issued when no employee training has been provided, if the required information was not given to workers or if there were no safety warnings concerning health hazards in any form.
In the end, businesses are responsible for the safety of their workers and maintaining a secure place for them to accomplish their tasks in.
MasteryTCN has a range of e-learning videos available for employee health and safety training including, “Hazard Communication: Introduction to GHS (The Globally Harmonized System)” and “Hazard Communication and The Global Harmonizing System.”
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