I’m continually surprised by how many workers in my class don’t know the GHS pictograms. Why is that an issue?
- They aren’t that difficult. There are only 9 (only 8 actually required by OSHA – the environmental one is optional) and many of them are familiar for decades.
- If they don’t know them your company is out of compliance. The deadline for the training was December 1, 2013, yes, 2013!
- Most importantly if they don’t understand the pictogram they probably don’t understand the hazard and don’t know how to safely handle the chemical. There are serious implications for their safety and the company’s bottom line.
National Safety Council has an interactive game to test their knowledge. You can have them play it online. You can see their score. Even though the program gets complimentary of any decent score, 100% is the only one that actually counts. You can refresh the page and do it over and over. Try it out here.