Globally Harmonized System Course

Help Employees Recognize Chemical Hazards Before They Begin a Task

Chemical safety starts before an employee opens a container, mixes a solution, disinfects an instrument, changes a compressed gas cylinder, or responds to a spill.

Healthcare workplaces use chemicals in patient care, cleaning, laboratory testing, dental procedures, sterilization, pharmacy operations, imaging, facility maintenance, and waste handling. Employees need to recognize the hazards connected to these products and understand where to find instructions for safe use.

This online OSHA Hazard Communication and GHS Training for Healthcare Employees explains how chemical hazard information is communicated through labels, pictograms, signal words, hazard statements, precautionary statements, and Safety Data Sheets.

The course has been updated to include employee-level information related to OSHA’s 2024 amendments to the Hazard Communication Standard.

Start Healthcare HazCom Training: $25

Course Overview

Course detail

Information

Delivery method

Online

Learning format

Self-paced

Audience

Medical, dental, laboratory, pharmacy, and healthcare support employees

Regulatory subject

OSHA Hazard Communication Standard, 29 CFR 1910.1200

Updated content

OSHA HCS 2024 amendments

Main subjects

Chemical hazards, labels, pictograms, SDSs, controls, PPE, and response

Certificate

Course completion certificate

Enrollment

Individual and group options

Price

Duration

$25 per learner

1 hour including test

Why Chemical Hazard Communication Matters in Healthcare

Healthcare employees may become familiar with a product because they use it often. Familiarity does not remove the hazard.

A chemical may create risks when it is:

  • Used without reading the label
  • Transferred into an unlabeled container
  • Mixed with an incompatible product
  • Used without proper ventilation
  • Stored incorrectly
  • Handled with the wrong type of glove
  • Sprayed near the face or breathing zone
  • Spilled in an occupied area
  • Used in a higher concentration than directed
  • Cleaned up by an employee who is not trained or equipped

Hazard Communication training helps employees pause and review important safety information before an exposure or emergency occurs.

Three Sources of Chemical Safety Information

Employees should know how to use three connected sources of information.

1. The Chemical Label

The label provides the first warning about a chemical’s hazards and required precautions.

Employees may find:

  • Product name or identifier

  • Signal word

  • Hazard statements

  • Precautionary statements

  • GHS pictograms

  • Supplier information

2. The Safety Data Sheet

The Safety Data Sheet provides more detailed information about the chemical, including first aid, spill response, storage, exposure controls, PPE, and physical properties.

3. Workplace Procedures

Employer procedures explain how the chemical must be handled in that specific workplace.

Workplace information may include:

  • Approved uses

  • Required PPE

  • Ventilation controls

  • Storage locations

  • Dilution instructions

  • Spill procedures

  • Emergency contacts

  • Waste-disposal requirements

  • Reporting procedures

Employees need all three sources. A general online course cannot replace the chemical and procedure information specific to the employee’s workplace.

Who Needs Healthcare HazCom Training?

This training may be appropriate for employees who use hazardous chemicals or may be exposed to them during normal work or a foreseeable emergency.

Hospitals and Medical Facilities

Potential learners include:

  • Nurses

  • Medical assistants

  • Clinical technicians

  • Operating room personnel

  • Surgery center employees

  • Patient care staff

  • Long-term care employees

  • Clinic employees

Dental Practices

Potential learners include:

  • Dentists

  • Dental hygienists

  • Dental assistants

  • Instrument-processing employees

  • Dental laboratory personnel

  • Dental office support staff

Laboratories, Pharmacies, and Diagnostic Services

Potential learners include:

  • Clinical laboratory employees

  • Research laboratory personnel

  • Pharmacy employees

  • Diagnostic testing staff

  • Imaging department employees

  • Specimen-processing employees

Healthcare Support Operations

Potential learners include:

  • Environmental services personnel

  • Sterile processing employees

  • Facilities and maintenance teams

  • Shipping and receiving employees

  • Supply personnel

  • Waste-handling employees

  • Healthcare contractors and vendors

The employer must evaluate the employee’s work area, chemical exposure, job duties, and emergency responsibilities to determine whether HazCom training applies.

Healthcare Chemicals Employees May Encounter

The course uses examples relevant to healthcare operations, such as:

  • Surface disinfectants
  • Cleaning concentrates
  • Sterilants
  • High-level disinfectants
  • Instrument-processing products
  • Laboratory reagents
  • Tissue fixatives
  • Solvents
  • Dental etchants
  • Dental bonding products
  • Compressed gases
  • Pharmacy chemicals
  • Hazardous drug-related products
  • Facility maintenance chemicals

Some products may be exempt from certain HazCom provisions based on their form or use. Employers must evaluate how each product is used in the workplace rather than relying only on its name or intended healthcare purpose.

Learning Outcomes

After completing the course, learners should be able to:

  1. Describe why OSHA requires chemical hazard communication.
  2. Explain the basic parts of a workplace HazCom program.
  3. Recognize the difference between a physical hazard and a health hazard.
  4. Identify common routes of workplace chemical exposure.
  5. Recognize the required parts of a shipped-container label.
  6. Explain the meaning of Danger and Warning.
  7. Recognize OSHA’s GHS pictograms.
  8. Use hazard statements and precautionary statements.
  9. Locate important information in a 16-section Safety Data Sheet.
  10. Identify information about first aid, spills, storage, and PPE.
  11. Recognize chemical hazards found in healthcare settings.
  12. Identify engineering controls and safer work practices.
  13. Understand why PPE must match the chemical and task.
  14. Respond appropriately to a chemical spill or exposure.
  15. Recognize changes introduced through OSHA’s HCS 2024 amendments.
  16. Identify the workplace information an employer must add to general training.

Healthcare HazCom Course Content

Part 1: Understanding Hazard Communication

This section introduces:

  • The purpose of OSHA HazCom

  • How chemical information reaches employees

  • Written Hazard Communication programs

  • Workplace chemical inventories

  • Employer responsibilities

  • Employee responsibilities

  • Training requirements

  • The relationship between OSHA HazCom and GHS

Part 2: Recognizing Chemical Risks

Learners examine:

  • Physical hazards

  • Health hazards

  • Immediate health effects

  • Delayed or long-term health effects

  • Chemical exposure routes

  • Fire and pressure hazards

  • Corrosive products

  • Toxic chemicals

  • Healthcare workplace examples

Part 3: Reading Labels and Pictograms

This section explains:

  • Product identifiers

  • Signal words

  • Hazard statements

  • Precautionary statements

  • Supplier information

  • GHS pictograms

  • Workplace container labels

  • Missing or damaged labels

  • Unlabeled secondary containers

Employees should not use a chemical from an unlabeled container unless the situation meets an applicable workplace-labeling exception and follows employer procedures.

Part 4: Finding Answers in a Safety Data Sheet

Learners review the 16-section SDS format and learn where to find information concerning:

  • Chemical identity

  • Hazard classification

  • Ingredients

  • First aid

  • Fire response

  • Accidental release

  • Safe handling

  • Storage

  • Exposure limits

  • Engineering controls

  • Personal protective equipment

  • Stability and reactivity

  • Health effects

  • Disposal

  • Transportation

  • Regulatory information

The course emphasizes using the SDS as a decision-making resource, not simply storing it as a compliance document.

Part 5: Reducing Chemical Exposure

This section introduces the use of:

  • Substitution when approved

  • Closed systems

  • Ventilation

  • Splash guards

  • Safer work practices

  • Proper storage

  • Correct dilution procedures

  • Chemical-compatible gloves

  • Protective clothing

  • Eye and face protection

  • Respiratory protection when required

PPE is not interchangeable. The correct protection depends on the chemical, concentration, route of exposure, task, and manufacturer or employer instructions.

Part 6: Spill and Exposure Response

Learners review how to respond when a chemical is spilled, released, inhaled, splashed, or placed on the skin.

The appropriate response may include:

  • Stopping the task

  • Warning people nearby

  • Moving away from the hazard

  • Reviewing emergency instructions

  • Using an eyewash or safety shower

  • Contacting a supervisor

  • Activating the workplace response plan

  • Obtaining medical attention

  • Reporting the exposure

  • Documenting the incident

Employees should clean a chemical spill only when they are trained, authorized, properly equipped, and following the employer’s procedures.

Understanding OSHA’s HCS 2024 Amendments

OSHA amended the Hazard Communication Standard in 2024 to align primarily with Revision 7 of the Globally Harmonized System.

The updated rule affects the way some chemical hazards are classified and communicated.

Employee-level topics in this course include:

  • Changes that may appear on chemical labels
  • Updated Safety Data Sheet information
  • Revised physical hazard classifications
  • Flammable gas categories
  • Aerosol classifications
  • Chemicals under pressure
  • Desensitized explosives
  • Small and very small container labels
  • Updated hazard and precautionary information
  • Information important during transportation and emergencies

Chemical manufacturers, importers, distributors, and employers have different responsibilities under the updated standard.

Healthcare employees are not expected to reclassify chemicals. They should be prepared to understand updated labels and SDSs as those documents enter the workplace.

What Employers Should Do After Assigning the Course

General online training should be combined with workplace information.

Employers should explain:

  • Which hazardous chemicals are present
  • Where the written HazCom program is located
  • How employees can access the chemical inventory
  • Where Safety Data Sheets are stored
  • How SDSs can be accessed during every work shift
  • Which labeling system the workplace uses
  • Which tasks may create chemical exposure
  • What engineering controls are available
  • Which PPE is required
  • How employees report missing labels
  • What employees should do during a spill
  • Where eyewash stations and safety showers are located
  • Who to contact after an exposure
  • How changes in chemicals or procedures will be communicated

Employers should also review updated supplier labels and SDSs as HCS 2024 information enters the workplace.

Benefits for Healthcare Organizations

Healthcare-Focused Instruction

The course connects HazCom concepts with chemicals used in medical, dental, laboratory, pharmacy, and support operations.

Consistent Employee Education

Organizations can provide employees with a shared foundation in labels, pictograms, SDSs, controls, and response.

Flexible Online Access

Employees can complete the course online and at their own pace.

HCS 2024 Awareness

Learners receive information about changes they may see on updated labels and Safety Data Sheets.

Training Documentation

Learners receive a certificate after completing the course requirements. Employers can retain the certificate as part of their training documentation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is OSHA Hazard Communication training?

Hazard Communication training teaches employees how workplace chemical hazards are identified and communicated through labels, warnings, Safety Data Sheets, and employer procedures.

What does GHS mean?

GHS means the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals. OSHA uses GHS-based elements within the U.S. Hazard Communication Standard.

Is HazCom training required in healthcare?

HazCom training generally applies when employees work with hazardous chemicals or may be exposed to them during normal operations or foreseeable emergencies. The employer must evaluate the workplace and employee duties.

Does the course cover the HCS 2024 changes?

Yes. The course includes employee-level awareness of updated hazard classifications, label information, Safety Data Sheets, and small-container labeling requirements.

What is the difference between a label and an SDS?

A chemical label provides an immediate warning and basic precautions. A Safety Data Sheet provides more detailed information about hazards, first aid, spills, storage, exposure controls, PPE, and other safety subjects.

Does every healthcare product require an SDS?

Not every product is covered in the same way. Coverage can depend on the product, its intended use, how it is used in the workplace, and the employee’s possible exposure. Employers should evaluate their chemical inventory and applicable exemptions.

Does this training cover dental employees?

Yes. The course includes dental workplace examples and may be used for dentists, dental hygienists, dental assistants, instrument-processing employees, and dental laboratory personnel.

Does this course replace workplace-specific training?

No. Employers must explain the chemicals, hazards, labeling system, SDS access, controls, PPE, and emergency procedures that apply in the employee’s work area.

Is annual HazCom training required?

OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard does not establish one universal annual retraining schedule. Training is required when employees are initially assigned and when a new chemical hazard is introduced into the work area. Employers may require refresher training more often under their policies.

Is a certificate provided?

Yes. Learners receive a course completion PDF certificate after meeting the course requirements.

Can an organization enroll multiple employees?

Yes. Group enrollment is available for healthcare organizations, dental practices, laboratories, pharmacies, contractors, and other employers. Cost of $25 is per employee.

Build a Safer Chemical-Awareness Program

Employees should be able to recognize chemical warnings before beginning work.

This online healthcare HazCom course helps learners understand:

  • Workplace chemical hazards
  • GHS pictograms
  • Container labels
  • Signal words
  • Hazard statements
  • Precautionary statements
  • Safety Data Sheets
  • Engineering controls
  • Safe work practices
  • Personal protective equipment
  • Spill response
  • Exposure reporting
  • OSHA HCS 2024 updates

Enroll in Healthcare HazCom and GHS Training: $25

Important Compliance Notice

This course provides general OSHA Hazard Communication and GHS education for healthcare employees. It does not replace a workplace-specific written HazCom program, chemical inventory, labels, accessible Safety Data Sheets, protective measures, emergency procedures, or training about the hazardous chemicals present in the employee’s work area.

Employers remain responsible for identifying covered employees, evaluating chemical hazards, providing workplace-specific information, maintaining required documentation, and updating training when new chemical hazards are introduced.

Please contact us for more information at Bob@training-hipaa.net or call (515) 865-4591.

Globally Harmonized System Course Now is rated 4.8 out of 5 by 532 users.