Chemical Safety Understanding all the risks associated with chemicals in a workplace can be overwhelming. By Sydny ShepardApr 01, 2022 With over 900,000 chemicals that could show up in a workplace, chemical safety and management is one of the most complex challenges employers and employees face at work. To better protect workers from the hazards associated with chemicals, OSHA published its Hazard Communication Standard. According to this standard, employees have a right to understand what chemicals are present in their work areas and how hazardous chemicals can impact their health and safety—let’s take a look into some of the most important elements of the Hazard Communication Standard that employees should be aware of.  Safety Data Sheets  The OSHA Hazard Communication Standard is designed to protect employees from hazardous chemicals used or stored in the work setting. This standard, also referred to as the “Right to Know” or “Right to Understand” standard, dictates that employers must provide information to any employee who may have the potential of being exposed to a hazardous chemical “under normal condition of use or in a foreseeable emergency.”   Employers need to ensure that employees understand how they can learn about the chemicals they work with or may become exposed to. The best way to do this, as the standard regulates, is through a safety data sheet, or SDS. SDSs contain everything an employee may need to know for a specific chemical.  It is up to the employer to identify and provide SDSs for each chemical located in a facility as well as place these SDSs in an easily located area. Generally, manufacturers and importers of chemicals provide the information for the 16-section SDS. These sections of information include:  Identification  Hazard(s) Identification  Composition/Information on Ingredients  First-Aid Measures  Fire-Fighting Measures  Accidental Release Measures  Handling and Storage  Exposure Controls/Personal Protection  Physical and Chemical Properties  Stability and Reactivity   Toxicological Information  Ecological Information   Disposal Considerations   Transport Information   Regulatory Information   Other Information  This article originally appeared in the April 2022 issue of Occupational Health & Safety. Adblock test (Why?)