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Hazardous Communication

The Texas hazard Communication Act (THCA), codified as Chapter 502 of the Texas health and Safey Code 9HSC), requires all public employers in Texas to provide their employees with information regarding hazardous chemicals to which employees may be exposed in their workplace.

To comply with Section 502.099(b) of the THCA and Section 295.7(a) of the THCA Rules (Title 25 of the Texas Administrative Code (TAC), Section 295.1- 295.12); the following levels of responsibility have been established:

  1. The Environmental Health and Safety Office will have overall responsibility for administering and maintaining this program and ensuring that it meets all requirements of the THCA.
  2. Supervisors will be responsible for:
    • Training the employees under their supervision in the hazards presented by the chemicals in their workplace.
    • Training the employees under their supervision in the location of the workplace chemical list, if required.
    • Training the employees under their supervision in the location of the Material Safety Data Sheets (SDS).
    • Ensuring all chemical containers in their workplace have the required labeling.
  3. Individual employees will be responsible for:
    • Understanding the hazards present by the chemicals in their workplace.
    • Labeling secondary containers.
    • Knowing the location of the SDS and Workplace Chemical List.

University of Houston - Downtown will develop and maintain a list of hazardous chemicals normally present in the workplace in excess of 55 gallons or 500 pounds. This Workplace Chemical List will be developed for each workplace where such quantities of hazardous chemicals are used or stored and will be available for review by employees and their designated representatives.
  1. Each University workplace or temporary workplace shall compile lists of hazardous chemicals present within these locations in accordance with Section 502.002 by December 31st of each year and shall forward copies of these lists to the EHS Office by January 31st of each year. No later than November 30th of each year, the EHS Office will distribute forms to be used by departments to complete their workplace chemical lists.
  2. Employee’s will be made aware of the workplace chemical list in General Hazard Communication Training.
  3. Employing departments are primarily responsible for making applicable workplace chemical lists readily available for their employees and their employee representatives. Additionally, copies of all workplace chemical lists will be available from the EHS Office.

Each workplace supervisor will be responsible for reviewing and updating the area specific Workplace Chemical List(s) for the UHD as necessary, but at least by January 31st each year.

Further information on each noted chemical can be obtained by reviewing Safety Data Sheets (SDSs) located in each workplace where these hazardous chemicals are used or stored.

The University of Houston - Downtown will maintain a current and appropriate Safety Data Sheet (SDS) for each hazardous chemical purchased.

Hazardous chemicals received without an SDS shall be withheld from use until a current SDS is obtained.

Missing SDSs shall be requested from an appropriate source (e.g., chemical manufacturer, distributor, or electronic database) within 30 days from receipt of the hazardous chemical.

SDSs should be readily available in or near storage locations, and available through the EHS Office for review by employees upon request.

All containers of hazardous chemicals used or stored by the University of Houston - Downtown will be appropriately labeled. All Primary and Secondary containers need to meet Hazardous Communication Standard labeling requirements to have pictograms, a signal word, hazard and precautionary statements, the product identifier, and supplier identification.

The UHD will rely on the chemical manufacturers or distributors to provide labels which meet the requirements for primary containers of all hazardous chemicals purchased, and will re-label containers only when the label is illegible or otherwise does not meet the above requirements.

Supervisors of every University department where containers of hazardous chemicals are present are responsible for assuring that the manufacturer/ supplier label is not removed or defaced unless it is illegible, inaccurate, or does not conform to the OSHA standard or other applicable labeling requirement.

Supervisor’s are also responsible for re-labeling a container, only when the label is illegible or when it comes to their attention that the labeling does not meet the requirements of the OSHA standard.

A supervisor who receives an unlabeled or mislabeled container of hazardous chemical from a supplier or a container which requires re-labeling shall ensure that such containers are re-labeled in accordance with this section prior to use by any employee. Supervisors may contact their supplier to request such replacement labels or may prepare their own replacement labels.

The University of Houston- Downtown will provide an education and training program to all employees who routinely use or handle hazardous chemicals in their workplace.

Contact UHD EHS Office at ehs@uhd.edu if you have any questions about hazardous chemicals in the workplace.