EPA Issues Final HAZCOM Rule

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a final rule on “Hazardous Chemical Reporting: Community Right-to-Know” to better conform with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Hazard Communication Standard (HCS). Facilities are required to comply with reporting the new physical and health hazards on their Tier II inventory form for reporting year 2017 by March 1, 2018. The HCS was recently revised to conform to the United Nations Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS). Under the revised HCS, chemical manufacturers and importers are required to evaluate their chemicals according to the new criteria adopted from GHS, to ensure that they are classified and labeled appropriately. Manufacturers and importers are also required to develop standardized Safety Data Sheets (SDS) and distribute them to downstream users of their chemicals. Click here for more information.