All labels on hazardous chemicals in the United States must contain six specific elements: a product identifier, a signal word, hazard pictograms, hazard statements, precautionary statements, and the name and contact information of the manufacturer or importer. These requirements come from OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard (HCS), which aligns with the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) used internationally.
The Six Required Label Elements
Every hazardous chemical shipped or stored in a workplace must carry a label with all six of these components:
- Product identifier: The chemical’s name or code, matching what appears on its Safety Data Sheet (SDS) so workers can cross-reference detailed safety information.
- Signal word: Either “Danger” or “Warning.” Only these two words are used. “Danger” indicates the more severe hazards within a given class, while “Warning” flags less severe ones. A label never carries both.
- Hazard pictogram(s): Red-bordered diamond-shaped symbols that visually communicate the type of danger. A single chemical can require multiple pictograms.
- Hazard statement(s): Short phrases describing the nature of the hazard, such as “causes severe skin burns” or “may cause cancer.” These are standardized, not written freely by the manufacturer.
- Precautionary statement(s): Directions covering four areas: prevention, response, storage, and disposal. These tell you how to handle the chemical safely, what to do if exposure occurs, how to store it, and how to get rid of it.
- Supplier identification: The name, U.S. address, and U.S. telephone number of the chemical manufacturer, importer, or other responsible party.
What the Pictograms Mean
There are nine standardized pictograms, eight of which are mandatory under OSHA’s standard. Each one represents a different category of danger:
- Flame: Flammable liquids, gases, or solids. Also covers chemicals that self-heat or emit flammable gas on contact with water.
- Flame over circle: Oxidizers, which can intensify a fire by supplying oxygen.
- Exploding bomb: Explosives and chemicals that can react violently under certain conditions.
- Gas cylinder: Gases stored under pressure, which can explode if heated.
- Corrosion: Chemicals that cause skin burns, serious eye damage, or corrode metals.
- Skull and crossbones: Acutely toxic chemicals that can be fatal or toxic through a single or short exposure.
- Health hazard: Long-term health risks like cancer, reproductive harm, organ damage, or respiratory sensitization.
- Exclamation mark: Less severe health effects including skin and eye irritation, skin sensitization, and narcotic effects.
- Environment: Aquatic toxicity. This pictogram is not mandatory under OSHA but is commonly included.
The skull and crossbones and the exclamation mark both deal with toxicity, but at different severity levels. If a chemical is toxic enough to warrant the skull and crossbones, the exclamation mark is not used alongside it for that same effect.
Language Requirements
Labels must be in English. Under 29 CFR 1910.1200(f)(9), employers must ensure labels are legible, written in English, and prominently displayed on the container or readily available in the work area throughout each shift. Employers with workers who speak other languages may add information in those languages, but English is always required as the baseline. There is no OSHA mandate to provide labels in any other language.
Secondary Container Labels
When a worker transfers a chemical from its original container into a different one for use in the workplace, that secondary container also needs a label, but the rules are less strict. Workplace labels must include the product identifier and words, pictures, symbols, or some combination that conveys general information about the chemical’s hazards. They do not need to include the manufacturer’s name, address, precautionary statements, or full hazard statements.
The catch is that employees must still have access to the complete hazard information through other means, typically a Safety Data Sheet kept in the work area and available throughout every shift. If an employer uses a simplified labeling system for secondary containers, the burden falls on that employer to demonstrate workers are just as informed as they would be with full labels. The one exception to secondary labeling: if a worker transfers a chemical into a container meant only for their own immediate use during that shift, no label is required.
Small Container Exceptions
Some containers are simply too small for a full label. OSHA allows alternatives like pull-out labels, fold-back labels, or tags when space is tight. If even those methods are not feasible, a practical accommodation exists. The small container label must include at minimum the product identifier, signal word, pictograms, and the manufacturer’s name and phone number. It must also include a statement directing users to the outer packaging for full label information. This accommodation only applies when it is genuinely infeasible to fit the complete label, not simply inconvenient.
The 2024 update to the Hazard Communication Standard, effective July 19, 2024, added further flexibility for very small packages of 3 milliliters or less, as well as bulk shipments in tanker trucks, railcars, and intermodal containers.
What Changed in 2024
OSHA published a final rule on May 20, 2024, updating the Hazard Communication Standard to stay aligned with the latest revision of the GHS. The core six label elements remain the same, but the update introduced revised hazard classes and categories with corresponding new label elements and precautionary statements in Appendix C. It also clarified which hazard information belongs on the label versus only on the SDS. One proposed change, adding a “date of release for shipment” to labels, was ultimately dropped from the final rule.