Right-to-Know (Hazard Communication)

Overview & Applicability

In 1988, the Georgia legislature passed the "Public Employee Hazardous Chemical Protection and Right to Know Act". This law mandated that public employers, which include University System of Georgia institutions, provide information and training for employees whose work assignments require the handling of hazardous chemicals.

The purpose of the law is to ensure that public employees who are exposed to hazardous chemicals on the job are informed of the hazards of those chemicals, as well as the measures they can take to protect themselves against those hazards.

The Georgia Department of Labor is responsible for issuing and enforcing the rules that implement this law.

Key Definitions

Hazardous chemical: any chemical which is a physical hazard or a health hazard.

Requirements

To comply with the Right-to-Know Act, the University System of Georgia established and maintains a Hazardous Chemical Protection Communication Plan. This plan includes all USG institutions, and sets forth the requirements that each institution must meet in order to comply with the rules.

Individual institutions are responsible for maintaining their own Right-to-Know program. Elements of the program include:

using the USG Hazardous Chemical Protection Communication Plan as a guide for developing and maintaining a campus-specific written plan
designating a person to serve as the institution's Right-to-Know Coordinator
providing training for employees
maintaining ready accessibility to Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs) for chemicals used in each work area
ensuring a system is in place for labeling hazardous chemical containers
providing an updated inventory of hazardous chemicals to the USG Right-to-Know Coordinator in July and January of each year.