Learn to read chemical labels, recognize the OSHA pictograms, find answers fast on a Safety Data Sheet, and handle unlabeled containers. Interactive lessons, knowledge checks, a branching scenario and a final quiz.
Based on OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1200 · applies to construction via 29 CFR 1926.59 · about 7 min read
Need proof of training? The full course (30 min) adds practice questions, a job scenario, the final quiz and a certificate your employer can verify.
HazCom works like a relay. Chemical manufacturers and importers evaluate the hazards first. That information travels with the product, and your employer passes it to you.
1. ClassificationManufacturers and importers determine each chemical's hazards using set criteria.
2. LabelsContainers carry standard labels with the key hazards and precautions.
3. Safety Data SheetsA 16-section document gives full details for every hazardous chemical.
4. TrainingYour employer trains you on the hazards where you work and how to protect yourself.
OSHA aligned the standard with the United Nations' Globally Harmonized System (GHS) in 2012 and updated it again in 2024, so labels and data sheets look much the same around the world.
A chemical can only hurt you if it reaches you. Knowing the route tells you which protection matters.
Breathing it inVapors, mists, fumes and dusts. In many workplaces this is how chemicals most often get in, so ventilation and respirators matter.
Skin and eyesSplashes, wet gloves, contaminated clothing. Some chemicals pass straight through skin.
SwallowingEating, drinking or smoking with contaminated hands.
Less common: injectionA puncture from a contaminated sharp object or a high-pressure line.
Remember: Effects can be acute (right away, like a burn or dizziness) or chronic (years later, like lung disease or cancer). "I feel fine" does not mean you were not exposed.
Every employer whose workers can be exposed to hazardous chemicals needs a written hazard communication program, available to you on request. It must cover:
A chemical inventory: a list of the hazardous chemicals present, using the same product identifiers that appear on the Safety Data Sheets
Labels: how containers will be labeled and kept labeled
Safety Data Sheets: how SDSs are kept and how you can get to them on every shift
Training: how and when you will be trained
Non-routine tasks: how you will be told about hazards of unusual jobs, like cleaning out a tank, and chemicals in unlabeled pipes
Multi-employer sites: how contractors sharing a site exchange SDS access, labeling systems and precautions
Your employer must train you when you are first assigned and whenever a new chemical hazard you have not been trained on is introduced into your work area. Training must cover how to detect a release, the hazards of the chemicals, how to protect yourself, and how the labels and SDSs at your workplace work.
Important: A general course like this one builds your knowledge, but your employer must still train you on the specific chemicals and procedures at your site.
Your part
Read labels before you use a product, every time
Know where the SDSs are kept on your site
Use the protective equipment the SDS and your employer call for
Never use, or leave behind, an unlabeled container
Report spills, leaks, damaged labels and symptoms right away
Labels on containers shipped by a manufacturer, importer or distributor must show six elements.
Pictograms
Red-bordered diamonds showing the type of hazard. Here: flame (flammable) and exclamation mark (irritant, drowsiness).
Product identifier
The name or number that matches the product on its Safety Data Sheet. This is how you find the right SDS.
Signal word
"Danger" or "Warning" tells you how severe the hazard is at a glance. Danger is the more severe.
Hazard statements
Standard phrases describing the nature and severity of each hazard.
Precautionary statements
What to do to prevent harm, how to respond to an exposure, how to store it, and how to dispose of it.
Supplier information
Name, U.S. address and U.S. phone number of the chemical manufacturer, importer or other responsible party.
Sample label for training only. The product and company are fictional.
Reference: 29 CFR 1910.1200(f)(1)
Reading a label
Signal words and workplace labels
Only two signal words
DANGERUsed for the more severe hazards.
WARNINGUsed for less severe hazards.
A label shows only one signal word. If "Danger" is used, "Warning" does not appear.
Labels inside your workplace
When chemicals are moved into containers at your workplace, those containers still need a label. Your employer can use the full shipped label, or a simpler workplace label that shows the product identifier and enough hazard information (words, pictures or symbols) to warn you, combined with the other information available to you.
One narrow exception: a portable container you fill from a labeled container and use only yourself, within the same shift, does not need a label. Once it is left behind, handed to someone else or kept for later, it needs one.
Each pictogram is a black symbol on a white background inside a red diamond. OSHA requires these eight. You may also see a ninth pictogram for environmental hazards; OSHA does not require it.
Every SDS uses the same 16 sections in the same order, so once you learn the layout you can find answers fast on any product. Open a section to see what it holds.
01 Identification
Product identifier, recommended use, supplier contact and emergency phone number.
02 Hazard identification
The hazards, signal word, pictograms and the label elements.
03 Composition / ingredients
The chemical ingredients and their concentrations.
04 First-aid measures
What to do right away for each route of exposure, and symptoms to watch for.
05 Fire-fighting measures
Which extinguishers to use and fire hazards of the product.
06 Accidental release measures
Spill and leak cleanup, containment and protective equipment.
07 Handling and storage
Safe handling and what the product must not be stored with.
08 Exposure controls / personal protection
Exposure limits, ventilation and the PPE to wear.
09 Physical and chemical properties
Appearance, odor, flash point and similar properties.
10 Stability and reactivity
Conditions and materials that make it react dangerously.
11 Toxicological information
How it affects the body, short and long term.
12 Ecological information not enforced by OSHA
Effects on the environment.
13 Disposal considerations not enforced by OSHA
How to dispose of it properly.
14 Transport information not enforced by OSHA
Shipping classification.
15 Regulatory information not enforced by OSHA
Other regulations that apply.
16 Other information
Date of preparation or last revision.
The headings for Sections 12–15 must appear, but OSHA does not enforce their content because other agencies cover those areas.
Fact-checked against the regulation text on October 09, 2026. This certificate records completion of awareness training based on OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1200, which 29 CFR 1926.59 applies to construction. It is not an OSHA card or license, and it does not by itself meet the training requirements of 29 CFR 1910.1200(h). Your employer must still provide you with effective information and training on the hazardous chemicals in your work area at the time of your initial assignment and whenever a new chemical hazard you have not been trained about is introduced into your work area. That training must include how to detect the presence or release of a hazardous chemical in your work area, the hazards of the chemicals in your work area, the specific procedures your employer has implemented to protect you, and the details of your employer's hazard communication program, including its labels and safety data sheets.
This guide explains the rule in plain words. Always read the regulation itself and your employer's site-specific procedures.