Every hazardous chemical label in the workplace must include six specific elements: a product identifier, a signal word, hazard statements, precautionary statements, pictograms, and the name, address, and telephone number of the manufacturer or responsible party. These requirements come from OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard (HCS), which aligns with the United Nations’ Globally Harmonized System (GHS) for classifying and labeling chemicals.
The Six Required Label Elements
Chemical manufacturers, importers, and distributors must ensure every container of hazardous chemicals leaving a facility carries all six elements. Here’s what each one means in practice:
- Product identifier: The name used to identify the chemical. This must match the name on the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) so workers can cross-reference detailed safety information.
- Signal word: Either “DANGER” or “WARNING.” Danger indicates a more severe hazard, while Warning is used for less severe ones. Only one signal word appears on any label, even if the chemical has multiple hazards. In that case, the more severe word wins.
- Hazard statements: Short phrases describing the nature of the hazard, such as “Extremely flammable aerosol” or “Causes serious eye damage.” These are standardized so the same chemical gets the same description regardless of who manufactures it.
- Precautionary statements: Instructions covering four areas: prevention (how to avoid exposure), response (what to do if exposure occurs), storage (how to keep the chemical safely), and disposal (how to get rid of it properly).
- Pictograms: Red-bordered diamond-shaped symbols that give a quick visual warning about the type of hazard.
- Manufacturer information: The name, address, and telephone number of the chemical manufacturer, importer, or other responsible party.
What the Nine Pictograms Mean
GHS uses nine standardized pictograms, each inside a red diamond border with a white background. You won’t necessarily see all nine on one label, only the ones relevant to that chemical’s hazards:
- Exploding bomb: Explosives
- Flame: Flammable materials
- Flame over circle: Oxidizers (chemicals that can intensify a fire)
- Gas cylinder: Compressed gases
- Corrosion: Chemicals that can destroy skin tissue or corrode metals
- Skull and crossbones: Acute toxicity (can cause death or serious harm from a single exposure)
- Exclamation mark: Irritants and less severe hazards like skin sensitization
- Health hazard (person with damaged chest): Longer-term health effects like cancer risk, organ damage, or respiratory sensitization
- Environment (dead tree and fish): Hazardous to aquatic life
How Workplace Labels Differ From Shipped Labels
The full six-element label is mandatory on any container shipped from a manufacturer or distributor. But once chemicals arrive at a workplace, employers have a second option for labeling. Workplace containers can use a simplified label that includes just the product identifier plus words, pictures, or symbols that convey general hazard information. This simplified approach has a catch: the employer must make additional information, such as Safety Data Sheets, immediately available to workers in their area during every shift. “Immediately available” means accessible on the spot, not locked in an office down the hall.
There’s also an exception for temporary transfers. If you pour a chemical from a labeled container into a portable one and plan to use it yourself within the same work shift, no label is required on that secondary container. The moment it could be used by someone else or left for the next shift, it needs a label.
Rules for Small Containers
Some containers are simply too small to fit all six label elements. OSHA allows a practical workaround for these situations. The small container itself must carry, at minimum, the product identifier, relevant pictograms, the signal word, and the manufacturer’s name and phone number. It also needs a statement directing users to the outer packaging for the full label.
That outer packaging (the box or bag the small container comes in, not the shipping carton) must then carry every required label element. It has to be clearly marked so the complete information stays visible, and it must instruct users to store the small container inside the outer package. The immediate container always needs some form of label. Labeling only the outer packaging is never acceptable.
Consumer Products vs. Workplace Chemicals
Products sold to consumers fall under the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the Federal Hazardous Substances Act rather than OSHA’s standard. OSHA specifically exempts products from its labeling rules when they’re already subject to CPSC requirements. So a can of spray paint sold at a hardware store follows consumer labeling rules, while the same formulation shipped in bulk to a factory follows the GHS workplace label format. If your workplace uses consumer products, the CPSC label satisfies the requirement, but the employer still needs to maintain Safety Data Sheets and train employees on the hazards.
2024 Updates to Labeling Requirements
OSHA published a final rule on May 20, 2024, updating the Hazard Communication Standard to align with Revision 7 of the GHS. The rule took effect July 19, 2024, and introduces a phased compliance timeline. Manufacturers and importers have 18 months from the effective date to update labels and Safety Data Sheets for single substances, and 36 months for mixtures. Employers then get an additional six months after each of those deadlines to update workplace labels and training.
Key changes include updated classification criteria for skin corrosion, eye irritation, flammable gases, and aerosols, plus a new hazard class for desensitized explosives. The rule also adds flexibility for labeling bulk shipments in tanker trucks, railcars, and intermodal containers, and refines the small-container rules for packages of 100 ml or less, with special provisions for very small packages of 3 ml or less. During the transition period, employers can comply with either the previous standard or the new rule.