GHS Hazard Communication Training

Which Hazard Communication or Chemical Safety Course Fits?

GHS and HazCom are one course, not two: OSHA aligned its Hazard Communication Standard with the UN's GHS in 2012. Pick by three things: the language your crew trains in, the building they work in, and how much of the job is handling chemicals.

• GHS Training Course (Hazard Communication). The page you're on. English-speaking workers in general industry or construction who need HazCom training: classification, the eight pictograms, label elements and the 16-section SDS, in 1 to 2 hours.
• GHS Training - Spanish. The same four modules in Spanish, with the same Certificate of Completion. OSHA's letter of April 10, 1988 reads the 'effective' training duty in 29 CFR 1910.1200(h)(1) as training in a language the worker understands, so a Spanish-speaking crew takes this version. View the GHS Training - Spanish
• Hazard Communication in Healthcare Environments. Hazard communication for hospitals, clinics, labs and long-term care, where the chemicals are cleaning, sterilization and lab products. Choose it when everyone you're training works in a healthcare facility. View the Hazard Communication in Healthcare Environments
• Chemical Safety. General chemical safety for crews that work with chemicals every shift. Take it alongside HazCom rather than instead of it: HazCom is the course written to the Hazard Communication Standard's training paragraph. View the Chemical Safety

Hazardous waste operations and emergency response fall under HAZWOPER, 29 CFR 1910.120, a separate standard with its own training levels and hour counts. HazCom does not count toward it and HAZWOPER does not replace HazCom, so those crews take HAZWOPER training as well.

What the Hazard Communication Certificate Proves

The Certificate of Completion shows a supervisor or auditor that the worker finished the general HazCom training, the classification, label and Safety Data Sheet content, and passed the final exam.

• It proves the general training was delivered. The course covers the general side of the four topics in the standard's training paragraph: detecting a release, hazard types, protective measures, and how to read labels and the SDS.
• It proves a pass, not attendance. A score of 70% on the final exam is needed before the certificate prints, and each module ends in its own quiz first.
• It carries no expiry date, because the standard sets none. Retraining under 29 CFR 1910.1200(h)(1) is triggered by a new chemical hazard in the work area, not by the calendar, so there is no renewal deadline to track.
• It pairs with your own site record. The employer still delivers the site-specific training: the paragraph (h)(2) items, the chemicals in the work area, the site's own procedures and protective equipment, and the workplace labeling system. Keep a record of that walk-through beside the certificate.

Print it the day the worker passes and file it with the site-specific sign-off.