A hazard communication program is essential to keep the employees and the workplace safe from any hazards and unforeseen issues. Without an effective hazard communication plan, an organization’s safety measures and security guidelines will be vague and blurred, causing an increased chance of injury for your team. Wondering what goes into a hazard communication plan? Here the details regarding a the plan, its benefits, and how you can make one for your business.
What is a Hazard Communication Program?
A workplace sets a series of procedures known as a "hazard communication program" to inform all parties interacting with the relevant potential occupational risks. A hazard communication program's main objective is to raise employees' understanding of dangerous substances so they can safely identify, handle, and manage them. Additionally, this program tries to assist staff in avoiding potential risks that come with these hazards.
Employees not only have access to this information, but they might also participate in training sessions to strengthen their security. These programs can give each employee the knowledge and abilities they need to encourage safety among individuals, their coworkers, and the community. To effectively reduce the hazards involved, hazard communication programs depend on the cooperation of management, supervisors, managers, and employees.
What are the Benefits of a Hazard Communication Plan?
Employers must identify hazardous substances, mark them, and train all employees to store, use, and handle them, following the Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) established by OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration).
Any material that poses a risk to one's health or safety is considered to be dangerous. To ensure that workers are aware of any potential negative impacts of chemicals in the workplace, OSHA established the HCS. A hazard communication plan can benefit your organization in the following ways:
1. Safe and Healthy Workplace
The biggest benefit of a hazard communication program is a safe and healthy workplace and working environment. A secure and healthy working environment is ensured when chemicals are safely placed and labeled, and security measures are accurately communicated.
Not labeling and placing the hazardous elements and chemicals can not only lead any staff in danger but can also affect the organization's productivity, image, and overall well-being. In the broader spectrum, an effective hazard communication program not only ensures the safety of people within the organization but also secures the reputation of the company.
2. Trained Employees
You can never train and educate your employees regarding any chemical hazard and threatening exposure as well as an effective hazard communication program. Efficiently communicating the necessary security guidelines, measures, and protective methods will keep the employees safe and train them on how to use and deal with chemical and hazardous elements.
Compliance training on how to use hazardous chemicals and equipment will keep your employees, clients, and even newer trainees safe from any inconvenience or mishap. This all contributes to a safe and secure working environment and a productive workflow.
3. Formal Mechanism
A formal mechanism to handle operations is crucial for any company or organization dealing with hazardous chemicals and elements to avoid unsafe practices that can put the employees and organization in danger.
The written program portion of the hazard communication program ensures a formal mechanism through laid out rules, regulations, objectives, guidelines, and necessary measures, which, if breached, can have severe consequences.
What Role Does a Hazard Communication Plan Play in an Organization?
There is a strong probability that you have a hazard communication program template in place if your business uses, manufactures, imports, or disposes of hazardous products. Of course, there is always space for improvement, just like most other workplace safety issues. Organizations are required to adhere to four primary standards to play the effective role that a hazard communication program is expected to:
1. Ensures Labelling of Chemicals
Employers are responsible for ensuring that containers with dangerous goods and chemicals are appropriately labeled. The labels must be clear and prominently placed so workers can easily recognize dangerous materials. OSHA specifies six features that all chemical labels must include in terms of the necessary information:
- Identifiers of products
- Hazard statements
- Signal words
- Precautionary statements
- Contact information of Importer or Manufacturer of products
- Pictograms
2. Shares and Updates Safety Data Sheets SDS
Safety data sheets (SDS) offer comprehensive details about the hazardous materials utilized in your workspaces, including each substance's characteristics, any associated risks to physical safety and health, and important safety precautions.
Chemical producers and importers often produce safety data sheets before being distributed to other users. Employers can use these materials to create more proactive safety procedures and training programs around properly handling chemical hazards and informing workers about potential risks. Every hazardous chemical used or kept at a facility must have a safety data sheet.
A few significant changes to the data that should display on safety data sheets were also made by OSHA updates. The following sections should be presented on safety data sheets according to the regulations:
- Substance identification
- Identification of possible hazards
- Information of ingredients
- Firefighting measures
- First-aid measures
- Accidental release measures
- Personal protection
- Storing and handling guidelines
- Chemical and physical properties
- Toxicological information
- Stability and reactivity
- Ecological information
- Disposal considerations
- Transportation guidelines
- Regulatory information
3. Develops a Written Hazard Communication Program
Creating a written hazard communication program is a crucial component of OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard. These documents should include comprehensive instructions on how your workplaces will execute OSHA's rules, as doing so will assist your program in becoming more organized and systematic. You should make sure to include the following details in these hazard communication program’s prints:
- A complete list of all potentially dangerous substances
- Specific guidelines for hazardous chemical labeling
- Management guidelines for safety data sheets
- Required employee training
- Specific action plans are created for chemical spills, fires, and other physical risks.
4. Train Employees Regarding Chemical Hazards
Employee training requirements are the final and possibly most significant component of OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard. Any employee working with dangerous chemicals must receive training on handling and using those chemicals safely.
Additionally, they need to be aware of the safety precautions they can take to lessen the possibility of spills, fires, airborne dispersal, and other physical risks. Given that jobsite conditions alter over time, you should routinely retrain your staff whenever new personnel is hired, new harmful materials are introduced, or an accident on the job occurs.
How to make an Effective Hazard Communication Plan?
Here are the steps for making an effective hazard communication plan:
1. Familiarization with OSHA Standards
Understanding the OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) guidelines is the first step in developing a hazard communication program.
As you become more familiar with the guidelines OSHA emphasizes, you can designate a supervisor to oversee all actions connected to hazard communication. This person should operate as the main point of contact. They can also assemble a group to run the application for communicating hazards. This group may be responsible for daily tasks, including training and implementing safety regulations.
2. Creation of a Written Plan
You can start developing a written plan as soon as you are familiar with OSHA's requirements and have designated a supervisor. This strategy outlines the handling and management of hazard communication at your facility. This process assists in coordinating the relevant components and ensuring compliance.
A list of all the dangerous chemicals you intend to have your staff utilize at work might be included as an element of your written strategy. It's crucial to keep track of all your knowledge regarding a chemical so you can easily identify it. Include information like the generic name, chemical name, and product name of the substance. Remember that whichever name you choose for a product must match the name on your safety information sheet from step four.
3. Confirmation of Labels on Chemical Containers
Following the creation of your written strategy, you may check each of the labels on the containers holding your chemicals. Each of the original labels which come with the containers may be kept, and if more information is needed, you may add workplace labels. A product identity, danger statements, pictograms, and signal words must all be printed on chemical product containers shipped by importers and producers. You can remedy the issue by contacting a supplier if this data is missing.
It is your duty as an employer to make sure all chemicals are labeled properly. You can use labels provided by suppliers or buy labels from authorized third parties. It's crucial to give all your staff access to your information, regardless of how you decide to label your substances.
4. Organization and Maintenance of Safety Data Sheets
Every hazardous chemical used in your workplace should have an SDS created and updated. A supplier might automatically give you one, but they might not include it with your shipment. You are responsible for requesting this paperwork for any chemical your place of business uses. This implies that you can inform your staff thoroughly about every substance they might encounter.
You possess a few possibilities when deciding how to distribute each SDS to the staff. Make several duplicates, and store them in locations that are simple to get to. A few binders may be scattered around the workplace at some places of business acting as the main sources of information. Some employers might decide to leave a printout at each desk. It's crucial to keep paper backups of your safety data sheets in case of a power outage if you decide to disseminate them electronically.
5. Education and Training of Employees
You can provide your staff with full training before letting them begin their responsibilities. To ensure that workers are equipped to handle new chemicals, you can plan training at those times. Make sure to go over details like the dangers that specific chemicals can pose and the safety precautions that staff members can take.
Always clarify to employees how to get more information if they have questions about completing a task. You might advise the training manager to encourage staff to ask questions when they are being trained. Insist that employees should always seek clarification from their supervisor before acting on their judgment because doing so could have serious health and safety repercussions.
6. Regular Updation of the Hazard Communication Program
An excellent strategy to improve workplace safety is creating an updated hazard communication program, which you can gain from routinely reevaluating. Consistently check it out to ensure it has the most recent information available for your staff. To consider new substances or dangers suppliers have identified, you can update the program as appropriate. Additionally, you can ensure that the program is assisting the organization in achieving its goals in terms of safety.
Conclusion
An effective and extensive hazard communication program is essential to stay OSHA compliant and lead an organization that prioritizes the safety and security of its employees and workforce. Not only does the hazard communication program play an effective role for the employees, the manufacturers, and the clients, but also maintains the company's overall well-being.