in the workplace (e.g., employees of a construction firm working onsite, employees performing
routine maintenance and repair work, or members of the inventory team). This includes
providing these employees with copies of MSDSs, or making them available at a central location,
for each hazardous chemical the employees may be exposed to while working. In addition,
commanders will ensure that the program informs these employees of the measures necessary to
protect themselves under normal operating conditions and in foreseeable emergencies. The
installation program will also provide methods for informing these employees of the labeling
system.
C. The written Hazard Communication Program will be made available, upon request, to
employees, their designated representatives, the Secretary of Labor, or the Director, National
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, US Department of Health and Human Services, in
accordance with the requirements of Title 29 CFR, section 1910.1200.
8.8 Determination of Chemical Hazards. Title 29 CFR requires chemical manufacturers or
importers to assess the hazards of chemicals that they produce or import. Since they are required
to provide this information to DoD in the form of MSDSs, labels, and other forms of warning,
the evaluation and determination of chemical hazards in the case of mission stocks is not an
installation responsibility. In the case of locally purchased hazardous chemicals (either standard
or nonstandard stock), MSDSs will be required and obtained prior to contract award by the
Purchasing or Contracting Office. Those MSDSs will, in turn, be forwarded to the DoD HMIS
focal point for the service or agency under which the installation operates for inclusion in the
DoD HMIS data base. Contracts will not be awarded if the MSDS is not provided. Since the
MSDS is required prior to contract award, an MSDS is not required with the shipment although
some companies routinely provide the document along with the shipment.
8.9 Labeling of Containers of Chemicals in the Workplace
A. Title 29 CFR, section 1910.1200, requires that all chemicals in the workplace be labeled,
tagged, or marked with the identity of the hazardous chemical, the appropriate hazard warnings
(including target organs), and the name and address of the chemical manufacturer or other
responsible party. The Act further provides, however, that in work operations where employees
handle only chemicals sealed in containers that are not opened under normal conditions such as
those found in a warehouse, employers need only ensure that labels on incoming containers are
not removed or defaced. Consequently, mission stocks will not require additional labeling as
long as the integrity of the original label is maintained and the label meets the requirements of
the standard.
B. A warning label is required on containers of chemicals used in other workplaces such as
industrial operations. This requirement also applies to chemicals in tanks and pipes. For this
purpose, the installation is permitted to use signs, placards, process sheets, batch tickets,
operating procedures, or other written materials in lieu of affixing labels to individual stationary
process containers, as long as the alternative method identifies the containers to which it applies
and conveys the information shown in subparagraph A above. The written materials must be
8-4
