Course Description
If you are handling hazardous materials, you need to know the proper way to handle them and ensure your safety. In this GHS Container Labels course, you’ll learn how to read and understand container labels for hazardous materials and use that information to work safely. OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard, also known as HAZCOM, gives you the right to know about the chemicals you may be exposed to at work. That includes understanding how materials are labeled.
This course explains how the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) makes hazard labels consistent worldwide, so employees can find critical safety information quickly—especially during an emergency. You’ll explore the nine pictograms used to communicate physical, health, and environmental hazards, as well as five standardized text elements: the product identifier, signal word, hazard statement, precautionary statement, and supplier contact details.
You’ll also learn how to locate key label information fast, how to understand what each pictogram means, and what to do when working with secondary or in-house containers. By the end of this course, you’ll be able to find and use GHS label information to stay informed and reduce risk when working with hazardous materials.
Learning Objectives:
- Explain the purpose of OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard and GHS
- Identify the nine GHS pictograms and what each symbol represents
- Describe the five text elements found on a GHS container label
- Locate and interpret key label details to work safely with hazardous materials
- Recognize labeling rules for secondary and in-house containers
Skills You Will Learn
- Chemical Safety
- Hazard Communication (HazCom)
- Hazard Communication Standard (HCS)
- Iconography
- Workplace Safety
What You'll Learn
- Explain the purpose of OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard (HAZCOM) and the Globally Harmonized System (GHS)
- Identify the nine GHS pictograms and what each symbol represents
- Describe the five standardized text elements found on a GHS container label
- Locate and interpret key label details to work safely with hazardous materials
- Recognize the labeling rules for secondary and in-house containers
- Read container labels for hazardous materials and use that information to work safely
Key Takeaways
- OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard (HAZCOM) gives employees the right to know about the chemicals they may be exposed to at work, including how those materials are labeled.
- The Globally Harmonized System (GHS) makes hazard labels consistent worldwide so employees can find critical safety information quickly, especially during an emergency.
- GHS uses nine pictograms to communicate physical, health, and environmental hazards.
- A GHS container label has five standardized text elements: the product identifier, signal word, hazard statement, precautionary statement, and supplier contact details.
- Working safely also requires knowing what to do with secondary or in-house containers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is this course for?
It is for people who handle hazardous materials and need to know the proper way to handle them and ensure their safety.
What does this course cover?
It covers how to read and understand container labels for hazardous materials, OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard (HAZCOM), the Globally Harmonized System (GHS), the nine GHS pictograms, the five standardized text elements on a label, and labeling rules for secondary and in-house containers.
What will I be able to do by the end of the course?
You'll be able to find and use GHS label information to stay informed and reduce risk when working with hazardous materials.
What are the five text elements found on a GHS container label?
The product identifier, the signal word, the hazard statement, the precautionary statement, and supplier contact details.
What topics are included in the lessons?
The lessons cover GHS Container Labels, the goals of hazard communication, the benefits of the GHS system, GHS pictograms, the text elements of GHS labels, and a review.
