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606 Hazard Communication for the Employee
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Employee Training

Introduction

Each employee who may be "exposed" to hazardous chemicals when working must be provided information and be trained prior to initial assignment working with a hazardous chemical as well as whenever the hazard changes.

Lab worker in PPE holding beaker with green liquid
Each employee who may be "exposed" to hazardous chemicals when working must be provided information and be trained.

"Exposure" or "exposed" under the rule means an employee is subjected to a hazardous chemical in the course of employment through any route of entry (inhalation, ingestion, skin contact, or absorption) and includes potential (e.g., accidental or possible) exposure.

Information and training may be done either by individual chemical or by categories of hazards (such as flammability or carcinogenicity). If there are only a few chemicals in the workplace, then you may want to discuss each one individually. Where there are a large number of chemicals, or the chemicals change frequently, you will probably want to train generally based on the hazard categories (e.g., flammable liquids, corrosive materials, carcinogens). Employees will also have access to the substance-specific information on the labels and MSDSs. Employers must ensure, however, that employees are made aware of which hazard category a chemical falls within.

Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.

4-1. Each employee who may be "exposed" to hazardous chemicals at work must be trained _____.