What is GHS training?

Whether your company has been using the GHS standards for years, or you are just starting to implement it in your facility, proper training is critical. If your employees, contractors, and other key people aren’t properly trained in GHS, it will dramatically reduce its effectiveness, which can cause a lot of safety problems. All good GHS training programs should include many different areas of focus, including the following.

Training on GHS Pictograms

When it comes to GHS, the pictograms are the most recognized aspect of the program. Any GHS training program must take the time to teach everyone what these pictograms are, and what they mean. If a facility only uses a few different chemicals, it makes sense to only focus on the relevant pictograms since the others aren’t used. Being able to instantly recognize each of the pictograms used in a facility, and know the potential hazards, is key for this program’s effectiveness.

Training on GHS Safety Data Sheets

The pictograms are an important first step for recognizing hazards associated with chemicals, but it is also important to be able to get a deeper understanding of these chemicals when necessary. This is where the safety data sheets (SDS) are used. These sheets contain detailed information about each chemical including its name, dangers, what to do in the event of a spill, and much more. Teaching everyone in the facility how to read SDS’s, and where they are kept in the facility, is a key part of a good training program.

How to Create Proper Labels

Another important thing to train people on for GHS is how and when to create the proper labels. All chemicals that are used or stored within a facility need to have a GHS label that is easily visible on it at all times. In addition, if your facility ships any hazardous chemicals out of the facility, they should also have a label on it. Training employees how to use an industrial label printer to create these types of labels is a critical aspect to the success of this type of program.