Hazard Communication (HazCom) is the OSHA standard and workplace program that ensures workers know the chemical hazards they work with through labels, safety data sheets, a written program and training.
Hazard Communication, usually shortened to HazCom, is the system employers use to tell workers which hazardous chemicals are present in the workplace, what those chemicals can do to them, and how to protect themselves. In the United States it is also the name of the OSHA standard that requires it: 29 CFR 1910.1200, often called the "right to know" rule.
The standard places duties on two groups. Chemical manufacturers and importers must evaluate the hazards of the chemicals they produce or import and pass that information downstream on container labels and safety data sheets. Employers who use those chemicals must then make the information usable on the shop floor through a written program, workplace labeling, accessible SDSs and training. HazCom does not tell an employer how much exposure is acceptable or which controls to install. Its job is to make sure the people closest to the hazard have the information they need to recognize it and work safely.
HazCom has consistently ranked among OSHA's most frequently cited standards for years, which says less about its difficulty than about how often the basics, such as an up-to-date chemical list or a labeled spray bottle, get skipped.
Every workplace covered by the standard needs a written program describing how it will meet the labeling, SDS and training requirements. The program must include a list of the hazardous chemicals known to be present, using a product identifier that matches the SDS. It must also explain how employees will be informed about the hazards of non-routine tasks, such as cleaning a reactor vessel, and the hazards of chemicals in unlabeled pipes. On multi-employer sites, the program must describe how contractors and host employers will share SDS access, labeling systems and precautionary measures.
The chemical list is the backbone of the program. It should be organized by area or process so that a supervisor can quickly see what is used where, and it should be updated whenever a product is added, substituted or discontinued. An inventory that has not been walked against the actual shelves in a year or more is one of the most common audit findings.
Shipped containers must carry labels with the six elements defined under the Globally Harmonized System (GHS): product identifier, signal word, hazard statements, pictograms, precautionary statements and supplier identification. Employers must keep those labels intact and legible. For workplace containers, such as a drum decanted into smaller pails, employers can use the full GHS label or an alternative that combines the product identifier with words, pictures or symbols that convey the hazards. A portable container filled from a labeled container and used only by the person who filled it during their shift is exempt.
Employers must keep an SDS for every hazardous chemical they use and make it readily accessible to employees in their work area during each shift. Electronic access is acceptable as long as there are no barriers, such as a password workers do not have or a single computer locked in an office. Separately, OSHA's records rule at 29 CFR 1910.1020 treats SDSs as employee exposure records, which must be kept for 30 years unless another record of the chemical's identity, where it was used and when is kept instead.
Workers must be trained at the time of their initial assignment and whenever a new chemical hazard is introduced into their work area. Training must cover the requirements of the standard, where hazardous chemicals are present in their operations, and the location of the written program, chemical list and SDSs. It must also cover methods for detecting a release, such as monitoring or odor, the physical and health hazards of the chemicals, protective measures including work practices, emergency procedures and PPE, and how to read labels and SDSs. Training can be organized by hazard category, such as flammables or corrosives, rather than chemical by chemical.
OSHA published an update to the Hazard Communication Standard on May 20, 2024, aligning it with Revision 7 of the GHS. Changes include clarified rules for small container labels, a requirement that labels on packaged containers released for shipment be updated when new hazard information becomes available, new hazard classes such as desensitized explosives, and revisions to how trade secret claims are handled on SDSs.
In January 2026, OSHA extended the rule's compliance dates by four months. Under the revised schedule, manufacturers, importers and distributors had until May 19, 2026 to update labels and SDSs for substances, and have until November 19, 2027 for mixtures. Employers must update workplace labeling, written programs and training by November 20, 2026 for substances and May 19, 2028 for mixtures. Check osha.gov for any later changes before planning around these dates.
The standard exempts several categories from its labeling requirements or from the standard entirely. These include hazardous waste regulated under RCRA, tobacco products, articles such as a finished metal part that does not release a hazardous chemical under normal use, food and cosmetics intended for personal consumption, and consumer products used in the workplace in the same way and with the same frequency as a typical consumer would. A bottle of window cleaner used once a week in an office break room is likely exempt. The same cleaner used all day by a janitorial crew is not.
Most HazCom citations trace back to a short list of predictable failures:
A simple quarterly walk-through comparing the chemical list against storage cabinets, maintenance shops and janitorial closets catches most of these issues before an inspector does.
A regional food distribution warehouse received an OSHA inspection after an employee complaint about eye irritation. The inspector found that the facility's written HazCom program was a downloaded template that still listed a sample company name, and that the chemical inventory had not been updated since the site switched to a new floor-cleaning concentrate. That concentrate was corrosive and classified as causing serious eye damage. Night-shift cleaners were diluting it into unlabeled spray bottles, and none had been trained on its hazards or told that goggles were required.
The company rebuilt its program around an area-by-area chemical inventory, moved SDSs into an electronic system that workers could reach from a tablet at each cleaning station, and printed workplace labels for every secondary container with the product name, signal word and pictograms. Each cleaner completed hands-on training that walked through the concentrate's label and Section 8 of its SDS. The site also logged the findings as a corrective action with quarterly inventory checks assigned to the facilities lead.
Any employer whose employees may be exposed to hazardous chemicals under normal conditions of use or in a foreseeable emergency. That includes manufacturers, construction contractors, healthcare facilities, auto shops, cleaning companies and many offices that use more than consumer quantities of chemicals. If a product comes with an SDS and is used on the job, assume HazCom applies until you confirm an exemption.
The standard does not set a fixed annual refresher. Training is required at initial assignment and whenever a new chemical hazard is introduced. In practice, many employers refresh HazCom annually because products change, workers forget and auditors look for evidence that people still understand the labels and SDSs they rely on.
They are closely related. "Right to know" is the informal name for the principle that workers are entitled to know the hazards of the chemicals they work with, and HazCom is the OSHA standard that puts that principle into practice. Some states also have their own right-to-know laws covering community or public employee notification.
Yes, for any hazardous chemical not covered by an exemption, regardless of quantity. A single aerosol can of lubricant used in production needs an SDS on file. Consumer products used in a consumer-like way are the main exception.
Part of SafetyIQ's EHS glossary: plain-English definitions of workplace health and safety terms.
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