Interpret the 16 standardized sections of a Safety Data Sheet
Identify chemical hazards using the nine GHS pictograms
Use signal words to determine the severity of chemical risks
Summarize employer duties for SDS access and maintenance
Locate emergency first-aid and fire-fighting measures quickly
Chemicals are the invisible backbone of modern industry, but their utility comes with a significant responsibility: the "Right to Know." Under OSHA Standard 29 CFR 1910.1200, employers are mandated to use Safety Data Sheets (SDSs) to communicate complex chemical hazards to every person on the shop floor. Whether you are handling industrial solvents or common cleaning agents, understanding the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) is your primary line of defense against workplace accidents. This course is designed to take the mystery out of technical documentation and provide you with a clear, actionable roadmap for chemical safety.
We begin by breaking down the 16-section format of an SDS, a universal standard developed by the United Nations to ensure that safety information looks the same whether you are in a lab in New York or a factory in Tokyo. You will learn how to quickly scan for Identification details and Hazard Classifications that rank risks from Category 1 (most severe) to Category 5. We dive deep into the nine standard pictograms—those red-bordered diamonds—so you can instantly recognize if a substance is a flammable liquid, an acute toxin, or an environmental hazard.
Beyond identification, this training focuses on real-world response. Do you know where to find First-Aid Measures (Section 4) during an exposure emergency? Can you identify the correct Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) required in Section 8? We also cover the critical nuances of Handling and Storage, including how to prevent dangerous reactions by identifying incompatible chemicals.
Finally, we outline the legal framework of Employer Responsibilities. From maintaining "yellow binders" to providing digital databases, your employer must ensure SDSs are accessible during every shift. This course is essential for frontline workers, safety managers, and emergency responders who need to master the language of hazard communication to keep their facilities secure and compliant.
This program is available with Albanian, Amharic, Arabic, Bosnian, Creole, Croatian, French, Korean, Kurdish, Nepali, Spanish, Swahili, and Vietnamese closed captions.
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View this course in a classroom
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team individually with testing
and recordkeeping capabilities.
The Globally Harmonized System (GHS) is an international approach to hazard communication, providing agreed-upon criteria for classifying chemical hazards and protective measures.
These are signal words used to indicate the relative level of severity of a hazard; "Danger" is used for more severe hazards, while "Warning" is used for less severe hazards.
Yes, employers may use electronic systems to provide SDSs, provided there are no barriers to immediate employee access during each work shift and a back-up system is in place.
Section 6 (Accidental Release Measures) provides recommendations on personal precautions, protective equipment, and methods for containment and cleanup.
The LD50 is a numerical measure of toxicity representing the estimated dose of a chemical that would be lethal to 50% of test subjects.
Disclaimer: OSHA Standard 29 CFR 1910.1200 mandates the use of Safety Data Sheets (SDSs) to communicate the hazards of chemicals in the workplace. The information provided in this training video is intended as a general overview of SDSs and their 16 sections. It is not intended to replace actual training on the handling of hazardous chemicals nor does it replace the responsibility of employers to provide accurate and up-to-date SDSs for each hazardous chemical in their workplace.