The health and safety of your employees must be one of your top concerns, especially when working around chemicals, hazardous materials, and other potential sources of harm. Labels are used to protect employees while using hazardous materials and facing other risks.
Training Employees To Read Safety Labels
When training employees to read these labels, start by identifying the product name, official chemical name and ingredients, potential safety and health risks, and advice on the safe use of the chemical. In addition to this information, your training should cover symbols, such as the diamond shape that indicates dangerous goods, and words, such as hazardous, that offer immediate warnings.
To ensure your safety and well-being, we urge you to check General Label and visit website to familiarize yourself with our safety and warning signs services, which can provide you with valuable information and resources to prevent potential hazards.
Some examples include
- Phrases such as “keep container dry” and “wear suitable protective clothing”
- Brief first aid information if employees are exposed to the chemical
- A pink diamond label that indicates flammable liquid or gas
These labels contain a lot of information that you and your employees must use to maintain safety in your workplace.
Chemical Safety Labels
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has established requirements for employers concerning proper labeling in the workplace. When your employees work around or use chemicals, labels must provide the following information:
- What the chemical is
- Where to get information about the chemical
- The hazards and risks associated with the chemical
- How to remain safe and protect harm from those risks
Manufacturers are required to attach a Material Safety Data Sheet to each chemical product, so you must be sure your employees understand how to read the label. Fortunately, there are resources for providing instruction to employees and for conducting regular training sessions. Some of these guides are available through the federal government and agencies such as OSHA.
Understanding The MSDS
MSDS stands for Material Safety Data Sheet, and this document is used to provide vital information about chemical products. In many cases, this sheet is used to help companies provide basic safety practices to employees and customers. If you have any type of hazardous materials in your workplace, it’s your responsibility to make sure that chemical products are appropriately labeled.
Reading the MSDS
Understanding the MSDS is actually the second step in using labels safely; diamond-shaped labels and stickers with words such as “caution,” “warning,” and “hazard” should prompt caution and focus before using the contents of a container. If an MSDS wasn’t provided with the container, you’ll have to ask for one before allowing any of your employees to use the product. The data sheets contain more detailed information about hazards, safe use practices, and how to respond in a first aid situation.
Make sure your employees have access to the MSDS by placing copies in a central location and near products. These sheets should be available to every employee. It’s also essential that employees are familiar with the contents of the sheet before attempting to use hazardous products. Keep the sheets up-to-date. The law requires that they are no more than five years old.
How To Recognize Hazardous Materials
What counts as a hazardous material? When do you need to be concerned about safety labeling? You need to be concerned about chemical safety when working with a hazardous substance that could be harmful to health, both short term and long term. In some cases, there may be a risk of immediate physical or health risks. Some chemicals used as pesticides or for domestic use are defined as scheduled poisons because of their health hazards. If you’ve purchased a product to use in your business and it has an MSDS, you should be concerned about its use.
Other Signs and Labels for Safety
The MSDS and diamond-shaped labels aren’t the only labels required for safety in your workplace. For example, a Weekly Inspection Tag is used to show that equipment has been properly inspected for safe use. These labels are often affixed to large equipment, tools used to handle hazardous materials, controls, alarms, chains, switches, and fire extinguishers or hoses. Other examples of signs and labels that prevent harm to your employees include safety posters, floor signs, and workplace organization diagrams. These labels may not be as visually obvious as other labels but are just as important to the safety of your workplace.
Your employees should never be in a situation that puts their safety at risk. Working with OSHA and other federal agencies, you can use signs and labels, among other resources, to share cautions, pertinent information, and best practices for safety.