Chemical Labeling

Hazardous chemicals come from manufacturers with labels containing six required fields. These fields are intended to communicate the identity of the chemical and necessary hazard information. The fields include:

1. Chemical identifier in English
2. Signal word
3. Hazard statements
4. GHS pictograms
5. Precautionary statements
6. Company contact information

Whenever a hazardous chemical is removed from its primary storage container to a secondary container for lab work it must be labelled. This new label must include the full chemical name in English and the hazards associate with the substance. Hazard information may be included in written language or symbols. If the hazard information is not written on the secondary container, the general method of communicating hazard information on secondary containers must be written in the laboratory Hazard Communication Program. A secondary container is exempt from these requirements under the following circumstances:

1. You are the one who transferred the chemical into the secondary container and it is in your exclusive possession, and
2. The chemical will be completely used up within the work shift, and
3. You do not leave the area.

OSHA’s requirements for manufacturer labels are proscriptive, they must include the required information. OSHA requirements for laboratories, upon which KSU’s requirements are based, are competency based. Containers must be labelled with the chemical name and lab workers must know the hazards associated with each hazardous substance in their workspace. If secondary containers are not labelled with this information, the laboratory is required to adequately demonstrate that lab workers know the required information.