Compliance

by law your employer must provide

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OSHA “Right to Know”: What By Law Your Employer Must Provide

“OSHA right to know” is a common way to describe workers’ protections under OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard (HazCom), 29 CFR 1910.1200. In plain terms, it means employees have a legal right to understand the hazardous chemicals they work with, the risks those chemicals pose, and the precautions required to work safely.

If you handle—or even work near—hazardous chemicals, by law your employer must provide specific information, training, and access to Safety Data Sheets (SDSs). These workplace requirements are not optional “best practices”; they are compliance obligations under federal regulation.

The OSHA Standard Behind “Right to Know” (29 CFR 1910.1200)

OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard requires employers to develop and maintain a hazard communication program for the workplace. The standard applies to most workplaces where employees may be exposed to hazardous chemicals under normal conditions of use or in foreseeable emergencies.

Core HazCom elements include:

  • Written hazard communication program (29 CFR 1910.1200(e))
  • Chemical inventory (list of hazardous chemicals) (29 CFR 1910.1200(e)(1)(i))
  • Container labeling and warnings (29 CFR 1910.1200(f))
  • Safety Data Sheets access and management (29 CFR 1910.1200(g))
  • Effective employee information and training (29 CFR 1910.1200(h))

Together, these define what “right to know” looks like in practice.

By Law Your Employer Must Provide These Workplace Requirements

Below are the main workplace requirements tied to OSHA right to know. If any of these are missing or outdated, your organization may be at risk of non-compliance—and employees may be at risk of harm.

A written Hazard Communication Program

By law your employer must provide and maintain a written hazard communication program describing how your site will meet HazCom requirements (29 CFR 1910.1200(e)). This document should explain how your organization:

  • Maintains labels and warnings
  • Collects and manages SDSs
  • Trains employees
  • Communicates hazards for non-routine tasks
  • Addresses hazards associated with chemicals in unlabeled pipes (where applicable)

If an OSHA inspector asks for your HazCom program, the expectation is that it’s written, current, and reflects how your site actually operates.

A hazardous chemical inventory (chemical list)

Your HazCom program must include a list of known hazardous chemicals present in the workplace (29 CFR 1910.1200(e)(1)(i)). Practically, this inventory supports everything else—SDS completeness, training relevance, and spill/emergency readiness.

A strong inventory also helps identify chemicals that:

  • Are stored in new locations
  • Are no longer used (and should be removed)
  • Have expired or degraded

Labels and warnings on containers (GHS-aligned)

Employers must ensure containers of hazardous chemicals in the workplace are labeled, tagged, or marked with required information (29 CFR 1910.1200(f)). Under OSHA’s alignment with the Globally Harmonized System (GHS), labels typically include:

  • Product identifier
  • Signal word (e.g., “Danger” or “Warning”)
  • Hazard statement(s)
  • Pictogram(s)
  • Precautionary statement(s)
  • Supplier identification

If chemicals are transferred to secondary containers, workplace labeling rules still apply unless a specific exemption fits your use case.

Ready access to Safety Data Sheets (SDS)

Under 29 CFR 1910.1200(g), by law your employer must provide access to the SDS for each hazardous chemical, and SDSs must be readily accessible to employees during each work shift. “Readily accessible” generally means employees can obtain the SDS without barriers—no unnecessary delays, locked offices, or complicated permission steps.

Common SDS access problems OSHA cites include:

  • SDS binders missing pages or outdated revisions
  • SDSs scattered across locations with no clear system
  • Digital SDS systems that require special permissions or aren’t available on the floor

This is where an SDS management platform like SwiftSDS can help: it centralizes your SDS library in a secure cloud location, improves revision control, and supports fast retrieval from any device—helping you meet access expectations more consistently.

Effective employee training and information

Employers must provide employees with effective information and training at the time of initial assignment and whenever a new chemical hazard is introduced (29 CFR 1910.1200(h)). Training must cover:

  • HazCom requirements and how the program works
  • How to detect the presence or release of a hazardous chemical
  • The physical and health hazards of chemicals in the work area
  • Measures employees can take to protect themselves (PPE, work practices, emergency procedures)
  • Details of labeling systems and SDS format

Training should be understandable and job-specific—especially for tasks involving mixing, spraying, heating, cleaning, maintenance, or response to spills.

One Responsibility of the Employer Is to Consider Real-World Exposure

Compliance is not just about paperwork. One responsibility of the employer is to consider how employees are actually exposed to hazards in day-to-day operations.

That means evaluating:

  • How chemicals are used (open pour vs. closed system)
  • Potential for inhalation, skin contact, or ingestion
  • Chemical incompatibilities and storage conditions
  • Non-routine tasks (tank cleaning, line breaking, confined space entry)
  • Foreseeable emergencies (spills, fires, uncontrolled releases)

Employers should connect these realities to training, labeling, SDS access, PPE selection, and emergency planning.

Documentation, Consistency, and What OSHA May Ask For

OSHA compliance often comes down to whether your program is consistent and provable. During an inspection, OSHA may request or evaluate:

  • Your written HazCom program (1910.1200(e))
  • Your hazardous chemical list/inventory (1910.1200(e)(1)(i))
  • SDS availability for chemicals observed on-site (1910.1200(g))
  • Labeling practices in work areas (1910.1200(f))
  • Evidence of employee training and when it occurred (1910.1200(h))

Even though HazCom doesn’t prescribe a single “perfect system,” employers must be able to show the program works—and that employees can access hazard information quickly.

How SwiftSDS Helps Meet OSHA Right-to-Know Workplace Requirements

Managing SDSs and chemical inventories across multiple departments, shifts, and locations is where many programs break down. SwiftSDS is designed to reduce that risk by organizing hazard communication essentials in one place.

With SwiftSDS, organizations can:

  • Build a centralized SDS library to reduce missing/outdated sheets
  • Support OSHA HazCom (29 CFR 1910.1200) compliance through faster SDS access
  • Use GHS support to align hazard communication with modern labeling/SDS formats
  • Improve accountability with chemical inventory management (locations, quantities, expiration dates)
  • Enable mobile access so workers can retrieve SDS information instantly from any device

This helps close common gaps: “We can’t find the SDS,” “The binder is outdated,” or “The supervisor has the only login.”

Conclusion: Know the Law, Build a System That Works

OSHA right to know is more than a slogan. Under 29 CFR 1910.1200, by law your employer must provide a written HazCom program, a hazardous chemical inventory, proper labels, readily accessible SDSs, and effective employee training. And one responsibility of the employer is to consider how chemicals are actually used so hazards and controls match real conditions.

If employees can’t quickly find, understand, and act on hazard information, the program isn’t doing its job—no matter how thick the binder is.

Call to action: If your SDSs are scattered, outdated, or hard to access, streamline your hazard communication program with SwiftSDS. Visit SwiftSDS SDS Management to see how a centralized SDS library, inventory tools, and mobile access can help you meet OSHA workplace requirements with confidence.