2012 Sustainability Report

  • LinkedIn
  • Google Plus
  • Print
Commitment to Safety

Hazard Communication Program

The Hazard Communication (HAZCOM) standard under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) covers any hazardous chemicals present in the workplace that are used in such a manner that employees may be exposed under normal conditions of use or in a foreseeable emergency. In an effort to provide a more unified, global system of labeling hazardous materials OSHA has revised its hazardous communication standards. This has been the first major revision to the Hazardous Communications Standard in over 30 years adopting the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) for classifying and labeling of chemicals. At Con Edison, this impacts both the production of labels on the chemicals themselves as well as the safety data sheets which inform employees of the hazards of those chemicals. These changes align chemical manufacturers around the world. Con Edison’s HAZCOM program exceeds the requirements of the OSHA standard in areas in which the company has determined additional protective measures to be in the best interest of the employees.

The Con Edison HAZCOM program requires the following

  • A written Hazard Communication Program that contains procedures for compliance with the OSHA HAZCOM standard
  • A current list of chemicals present in each facility
  • Employees on all shifts must have access to safety data sheets (SDS) for chemicals present in the workplace
  • Employees must be made aware of the existence and contents of the OSHA HAZCOM standard and the company’s written Hazard Communication Program
  • Training for every Con Edison employee concerning the hazards of chemicals present in the workplace
  • Containers of chemicals present in the workplace must be labeled with product name, pictogram or classification, signal word, and information on any potential hazard
  • Contractors must inform the company which chemicals their employees may be exposed to while working at Con Edison
  • Chemicals brought into the facility by contractors must be identified to Con Edison personnel who may be in the area where the chemicals will be used

Con Edison maintains information about the chemicals purchased by the company in the Chemical Reporting System (CRS). The CRS can be used by company employees to retrieve SDS and summary sheets for display or printing.