29 CFR 1910.1200(h)Construction: 1926.59Free PDF kit

HazCom training: what 1910.1200(h) asks for, and a free kit to run it

Employers give HazCom training when an employee starts work with hazardous chemicals and when a new chemical hazard comes into the work area (29 CFR 1910.1200(h)(1)), in construction too (29 CFR 1926.59). This free kit runs a short session on labels, safety data sheets and where they are kept, with a quiz, a sign-in sheet and a certificate.

Verified against the eCFR on Oct 27, 2026 · text up to date as of Oct 23, 2026 · by HazComFast

Get the free kit What the training covers

At a glance

Who: Every employee who may be exposed to hazardous chemicals under normal operating conditions or in foreseeable emergencies (1910.1200(c))
When: At an employee's initial assignment, and whenever a new chemical hazard the employees were not trained on comes into their work area (1910.1200(h)(1))
Fixed interval: None is written in 1910.1200(h)(1). A refresher on your own schedule is recommended, not required
What it covers: The information of 1910.1200(h)(2) and the training topics of (h)(3), listed below
Construction: 29 CFR 1926.59 makes the requirements identical to those of 1910.1200
HCS 2024 update: For substances, additional training on newly identified hazards, as necessary, by Nov 20, 2026 (1910.1200(j)(2)(ii), federal date)
Records: 1910.1200(h) asks for no sign-in sheet and no certificate. Keeping both is recommended, not required

Who needs HazCom training?

Every worker who may be exposed to hazardous chemicals under normal operating conditions or in foreseeable emergencies: that is how 29 CFR 1910.1200(c) defines an employee for HazCom. Office workers or bank tellers who meet a hazardous chemical only in non-routine, isolated instances are not covered.

When is HazCom training due?

Under 29 CFR 1910.1200(h)(1), employers provide employees with effective information and training on the hazardous chemicals in their work area at the time of their initial assignment, and whenever a new chemical hazard the employees have not previously been trained about is introduced into their work area. The paragraph sets no fixed interval after that.

The 2024 update of the standard adds one dated duty. For substances, 1910.1200(j)(2)(ii) calls for any additional training on newly identified physical or health hazards, as necessary, by Nov 20, 2026, and 1910.1200(j)(3)(ii) sets May 19, 2028 for mixtures. These are federal dates. A State Plan can set its own, so check your state's rule.

On a construction site the same rule applies through 29 CFR 1926.59, and 29 CFR 1926.21(b)(2) adds a general duty to instruct each employee in recognizing and avoiding unsafe conditions. In California construction, 8 CCR 1509(e) has supervisors hold toolbox or tailgate safety meetings, or equivalent, with their crews at least every 10 working days. How often other OSHA training comes due is set out in our OSHA training requirements chart.

What goes into HazCom training under 1910.1200(h)(2) and (h)(3)?

Paragraph 1910.1200(h)(2) lists the information employees receive, and paragraph 1910.1200(h)(3) lists what their training includes at least. Paragraph 1910.1200(h)(1) lets you build the training around categories of hazards, such as flammability or carcinogenicity, or around specific chemicals. The chemical-specific information then stays on the labels and the SDSs.

Information, 1910.1200(h)(2)

1910.1200(h)(2)(i) The requirements of the Hazard Communication Standard.
1910.1200(h)(2)(ii) Any operations in their work area where hazardous chemicals are present.
1910.1200(h)(2)(iii) Where the written hazard communication program, the list of hazardous chemicals and the safety data sheets are kept, and how to get to them.

Training, 1910.1200(h)(3)

1910.1200(h)(3)(i) Methods and observations that can detect the presence or release of a hazardous chemical in the work area, such as monitoring, continuous monitoring devices, or the look or smell of a chemical being released.
1910.1200(h)(3)(ii) The physical, health, simple asphyxiation, combustible dust and pyrophoric gas hazards, and the hazards not otherwise classified, of the chemicals in the work area.
1910.1200(h)(3)(iii) The measures employees can take to protect themselves, including the company's own procedures: work practices, emergency procedures and personal protective equipment.
1910.1200(h)(3)(iv) The details of the company's program: the labels on shipped containers, the workplace labeling system, the safety data sheet with its order of information, and how to get and use the hazard information.

The kit below covers the labels, the SDS and where the SDSs are kept. The rest depends on the chemicals of your site. Build it from your SDSs and your written program.

Download the free HazCom training kit

Four PDFs for one session of about 10 minutes with the exercises and the questions: the talk, the quiz with its answer key, the sign-in sheet and the certificate. Each prints on US Letter, needs no account and carries the paragraph of 1910.1200 behind each point.

Fill in once for the four files, or leave blank and write it on paper

CompanyTrainerDate of the sessionSite or location

Labels, the SDS and where the SDSs are, with two short exercises and the questions for the crew
One answer to tick per question, and the answer key with its paragraph of 1910.1200 on the last page
20 lines, the topics of 1910.1200(h)(2) and (h)(3) to tick, and the trainer's signature
One employee, the topics covered, the employee's and the trainer's signatures

Need a sign-in sheet for another topic, or in Spanish? Use the free training record generator.

How do you run the session?

1Before the talk, pick two or three products your crew uses this week, print their SDSs and bring the containers. Fill in where the SDSs are kept, on paper and on a phone.
2Give the talk with the containers in hand, and leave time for the two exercises: finding the signal word and the pictograms, then Section 4 and Section 8 of a real SDS.
3Hand out the quiz, then go through the answers together and correct on the spot.
4Have everyone sign the sheet, tick the topics you actually covered, and keep the sheet with the written program. Recommended, not required (1910.1200(h)).
5Plan the rest of the training on the chemicals of your own site (1910.1200(h)(3)(i) to (iii)).

The talk, in full

HazCom training: labels, safety data sheets and where to find them. The PDF has the same text, with lines to fill in for your site.

Why we are here (1 min)

HazCom is the OSHA rule on chemical hazards at work, 29 CFR 1910.1200. Construction follows the same rule: 29 CFR 1926.59 says its requirements are identical to those of 1910.1200.

Under 1910.1200(h)(1), the company trains you on the hazardous chemicals in your work area when you start the job, and again whenever a new chemical hazard you were not trained on comes into your work area. Today covers three things you use every day: the label, the safety data sheet (SDS) and where our SDSs are kept.

Read the label (3 min)

The label on a container shipped to us carries six things (29 CFR 1910.1200(f)(1)):

The product identifier: the name or number that matches the SDS and our chemical list.
The signal word: "Danger" for the more severe hazards, "Warning" for the less severe (1910.1200(c)).
The hazard statements: what the chemical can do to you, such as "Causes serious eye damage".
The pictograms: a black symbol on a white background inside a red frame set on its point (1910.1200 Appendix C).
The precautionary statements: how to handle it, store it and what to do if something goes wrong.
The name, U.S. address and U.S. phone number of the manufacturer, importer or other responsible party.

Practice: Pick up a container from our work area. Find the signal word and the pictograms, then read the first hazard statement out loud.

Labels on our own containers (1 min)

A container we fill on site, like a spray bottle or a bucket of cleaner kept for the week, gets a workplace label: either the same information as the shipped label, or the product identifier with words, pictures or symbols that give at least general information on the hazards (29 CFR 1910.1200(f)(6)).

A portable container you fill from a labeled container for your own immediate use does not need a label (1910.1200(f)(8)). An existing label on an incoming container is not removed or defaced unless the container is marked right away with the required information (1910.1200(f)(9)). If you find a container with no label or a label you cannot read, stop and tell your supervisor.

Read the safety data sheet (3 min)

Every SDS has the same 16 sections, with the same headings, in the same order (29 CFR 1910.1200(g)(2)). It is written in English, and the company can keep copies in other languages too. Three sections are worth knowing by number:

Section 2, Hazard(s) identification: what the chemical can do to you (1910.1200(g)(2)(ii)).
Section 4, First-aid measures: what to do after a splash or an exposure (1910.1200(g)(2)(iv)).
Section 8, Exposure controls/personal protection: the controls and the protective equipment for the job (1910.1200(g)(2)(viii)).

Practice: Open the SDS of a product we use. Find Section 4 and read what to do for the eyes. Then find Section 8 and name the gloves or the eye protection it lists.

Where our SDSs are (2 min)

The company keeps an SDS for each hazardous chemical we use (29 CFR 1910.1200(g)(1)), and you can get to them during each work shift, in your work area (1910.1200(g)(8)). An electronic copy works when nothing stands between you and the sheet.

Training also tells you where the written HazCom program, the list of hazardous chemicals and the SDSs are kept (1910.1200(h)(2)(iii)). For this site:

Our SDSs are kept at: ______________________
On a phone or a tablet: ______________________
The written program and the chemical list are at: ______________________
Questions about a chemical, ask: ______________________

Questions for the crew

Where are the SDSs for this site, and how do you get to them on a night or weekend shift?
What does the signal word "Danger" tell you that "Warning" does not?
Which SDS section do you open after a splash in the eyes?
What do you do with a container that has no label?

This talk covers part of HazCom training. 29 CFR 1910.1200(h)(3) also asks for the methods and observations that can detect the presence or release of a hazardous chemical in the work area, the hazards of the chemicals in the work area, the measures employees can take to protect themselves, and the details of the company's program. Cover those with the chemicals of your own site.

A shorter talk for a morning meeting is our HazCom toolbox talk, and the label alone is covered in Understanding GHS labels.

The quiz, with its answers

Ten questions on the talk. Each answer gives the paragraph of 29 CFR 1910.1200 it comes from.

1. When does HazCom training happen?
- A. Once a year, on the anniversary of your hire date
- B. When you start a job with hazardous chemicals, and when a new chemical hazard comes into your work area
- C. Only after an OSHA inspection
Answer
B. 29 CFR 1910.1200(h)(1) ties training to the initial assignment and to a new chemical hazard the employees were not trained on. It sets no yearly interval.
2. Which signal word is used for the more severe hazards?
- A. Caution
- B. Warning
- C. Danger
Answer
C. "Danger" is used for the more severe hazards and "Warning" for the less severe (29 CFR 1910.1200(c), signal word).
3. What does a HazCom pictogram look like?
- A. A black symbol on a white background, inside a red frame set on its point
- B. A white symbol on a blue square
- C. Any shape and color the supplier picks
Answer
A. Appendix C to 29 CFR 1910.1200 describes a square set at a point, with a black hazard symbol on a white background and a red frame.
4. Which of these is one of the six items on the label of a shipped container?
- A. The date the container was opened
- B. The product identifier
- C. The name of the person who ordered it
Answer
B. 29 CFR 1910.1200(f)(1) lists the product identifier, the signal word, the hazard statements, the pictograms, the precautionary statements and the name, U.S. address and U.S. phone number of the responsible party.
5. How many sections does a safety data sheet have?
- A. 8
- B. 12
- C. 16
Answer
C. 29 CFR 1910.1200(g)(2) lists 16 sections, with their headings, in a set order.
6. You get a splash in the eyes. Which SDS section tells you what to do?
- A. Section 2, Hazard(s) identification
- B. Section 4, First-aid measures
- C. Section 8, Exposure controls/personal protection
Answer
B. Section 4 of the SDS is First-aid measures (29 CFR 1910.1200(g)(2)(iv)).
7. Which SDS section covers the protective equipment for the job?
- A. Section 4
- B. Section 8
- C. Section 16
Answer
B. Section 8 of the SDS is Exposure controls/personal protection (29 CFR 1910.1200(g)(2)(viii)).
8. You pour a chemical from a labeled drum into a bucket that you will use right away yourself. Does the bucket need a label?
- A. No, a portable container for the immediate use of the person who filled it needs no label
- B. Yes, every container needs the full shipped label
- C. Only if the job lasts more than one shift
Answer
A. 29 CFR 1910.1200(f)(8): no label is needed on a portable container filled from a labeled container and intended only for the immediate use of the employee who made the transfer.
9. Can the label of an incoming container be peeled off?
- A. Yes, once the product is in the storeroom
- B. Only if the container is marked right away with the required information
- C. Yes, if the SDS is on file
Answer
B. 29 CFR 1910.1200(f)(9): an existing label on an incoming container is not removed or defaced unless the container is immediately marked with the required information.
10. Where do the SDSs have to be?
- A. Locked in the office until a supervisor arrives
- B. Readily accessible to you during each work shift, in your work area
- C. At the supplier, available on request
Answer
B. 29 CFR 1910.1200(g)(8): the SDSs are readily accessible during each work shift to employees when they are in their work area. Electronic access works when it creates no barrier to immediate access.

Do you need a sign-in sheet or a certificate?

29 CFR 1910.1200(h) asks for the training and names no record. A dated sign-in sheet and a certificate per employee are recommended, not required: they show who was trained, when, by whom and on which topics, and the topics ticked show what was taught. A signature shows who attended. It does not show what they understood.

Some other OSHA standards do name a written certification of training, such as fall protection in construction (29 CFR 1926.503(b)(1)) and powered industrial trucks (29 CFR 1910.178(l)(6)). HazCom does not.

A State Plan can ask for more. In California, 8 CCR 3203(b)(2) asks for documentation of the safety and health training required by section 3203(a)(7) for each employee: the employee's name or other identifier, the training dates, the type of training and the training provider, kept at least one year. The section lists exceptions, some of them for small employers.

Keep the records with your written program: build one with the free HazCom program generator, and keep the SDSs in order with the SDS binder kit.

Questions about HazCom training

Does HazCom training apply to construction workers?

Yes. 29 CFR 1926.59 says the hazard communication requirements for construction work are identical to those of 1910.1200, training included. Construction employers also instruct each employee in recognizing and avoiding unsafe conditions and in the regulations that apply to the work (29 CFR 1926.21(b)(2)).

Do you need a certificate for HazCom training?

No. 29 CFR 1910.1200(h) asks for the training itself and does not ask for a certificate or a sign-in sheet. Keeping a dated record of who was trained, by whom and on which topics is recommended, not required. The certificate in this kit is a company record, not an OSHA document.

Does a HazCom toolbox talk count as HazCom training?

It can be part of it. The talk in this kit covers the labels, the SDS and where the SDSs are kept, which belong to 1910.1200(h)(2)(iii) and (h)(3)(iv). Paragraph (h)(3) also lists the methods to detect a release, the hazards of the chemicals in the work area and the measures employees can take to protect themselves, which depend on your own chemicals.

Does the 2024 HazCom update mean new training?

Where it brings newly identified physical or health hazards, yes, as necessary. 29 CFR 1910.1200(j)(2)(ii) sets Nov 20, 2026 for substances and 1910.1200(j)(3)(ii) sets May 19, 2028 for mixtures as the federal dates for that additional training. A State Plan can set its own dates.

Related HazCom tools and guides

OSHA HazCom compliance guide HazCom training record generator (sign-in sheet)HazCom toolbox talk OSHA training requirements chart HazCom program generator GHS label generator HazCom starter pack HCS 2024 retraining by Nov 20, 2026

Sources

Written and maintained by HazComFast. Verified against the eCFR on Oct 27, 2026.

General information, not legal advice. The kit is a training aid. Adapt it to the chemicals of your site.