USDOT and OSHA HazCom Basics

Learn the basics of hazard communication in transportation and the workplace, and how these two standards interact. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) are responsible for enforcing distinct and separate safety standards regarding the appropriate labeling of chemical hazards. Specifically, PHMSA’s Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR) and OSHA’s Hazardous Communication Standard (HCS) 2012 are the independent labeling requirements that communicate the dangers of hazardous materials (hazmat) in “transportation” (DOT), and in the “workplace” (OSHA).