UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND RISK MANAGEMENT
SECTION: ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY
SUBJECT: Hazard Communication
I.
PURPOSE
This procedure establishes the requirements for hazard communication at the
University of Houston concerning responsibilities, training, hazardous chemical
labeling and material safety data sheets. It applies to all University of Houston
locations where any hazardous chemical or extremely hazardous substance is
received, stored, used, reacted, developed or produced, including academic
laboratories. This procedure applies to all University of Houston staff, faculty, and
lessees as well as subcontractors
II. DEFINITIONS
A. Article: A manufactured item that is formed to a specific shape or design during
manufacture; that has end-use functions dependent in whole or in part on its shape
or design during end use; and that does not release, or otherwise result in exposure
to, a hazardous chemical under normal conditions of use.
B. Chemical name: The scientific designation of a chemical in accordance with the
nomenclature system developed by the International Union of Pure and Applied
Chemistry (IUPAC) or the Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) rules of
nomenclature; or a name that clearly identifies the chemical for the purpose of
conducting a hazard evaluation.
C. Container: Any bag, barrel, bottle, box, can, cylinder, drum, reaction vessel,
storage tank, or the like that contains a hazardous chemical. Pipes or piping
systems, engines, fuel tanks, or other operating systems in a vehicle, are not
considered to be containers.
D. Exposure: An employee that is subjected to a hazardous chemical in the course
of employment through any route of entry, including inhalation, ingestion, skin
contact, or absorption. The term includes potential, possible, or accidental exposure
under normal conditions of use or in a reasonably foreseeable emergency.
E. Hazardous chemical: An element, compound, or mixture of elements or
compound