I am guessing we may be having this debate for the next 20-30 years, as before OSHA revised their HAZCOM standard to the Globally Harmonized version we were still debating the requirements of the original HAZCOM standard up to the day it got changed (e.g., 30+years). But it seems there are companies benefiting from the confusion and selling supplies and equipment that are NOT needed in order to comply with the GHS labeling requirements AND we are seeing chemical manufacturers, importers, and distributors who are NOT meeting their labeling obligations, which in turn are placing many workplaces at risk of non-compliance. In this article, I hope to, once again, dispel the GHS labeling myths that seem to be so prevalent in our workplaces.
There are two (2) distinct labeling requirements in the GHS: