Labels - Employer Created Label

Employers have the option to create their own workplace labels.

Labels must meet one of the following requirements:

• The employer-created label must provide all the required information that is on the label from the chemical manufacturer.
• The employer-created label must provide the product identifier and words, pictures, symbols, or a combination thereof, which "in combination with other information immediately available to employees, provide specific information regarding the hazards of the chemicals."

This workplace labeling system may include any of the following materials:

• Signs
• Placards
• Process sheets
• Batch tickets
• Operating procedures
• Other such written materials to identify hazardous chemicals

OSHA states that any of these labeling methods (or a combination of these methods) "may be used instead of a label from the manufacturer, importer or distributor as long as the employees have immediate access to all of the information about the hazards of the chemical."

As you can see, the objective of SDSs is to provide employees with easily accessed information about the risks of the chemicals in their workplace.

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