• Labels must be legible and pictograms, signal words, and hazard statements should be together on the label.
• Maintain the labels of any containers received already labeled from the supplier.

The label format or layout is not specified by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), except to require that the pictograms, signal word, and hazard statements should be located together on the label. OSHA states that the three elements should appear in “the same field of view.”

There are also no guidelines or requirements on label size. However, OSHA says that labels must be legible without the use of any aid except corrective lenses if the person reading the label normally must wear glasses. If the label is not legible, it is not in compliance.

In-house labeling

For those containers that are received already labeled from the supplier, simply maintaining the label on the container is the best and easiest option. If materials are transferred in the workplace from labeled containers into other containers, the employer must ensure that these are labeled as well, unless they fall under the portable container exemption.

In-house containers of hazardous chemicals must be labeled, tagged, or marked with either:

• The same label information required on shipped containers (apart from the supplier identification), or
• A product identifier and words, pictures, symbols, or some combination that provides general hazard information regarding the physical and health hazards of the hazardous chemical.

The employer shall ensure that workplace labels or other forms of warning are:

• Legible,
• In English, and
• Prominently displayed on the container, or readily available in the work area throughout each work shift.

For in-house purposes, the employer can re-label using the label elements found on the original, shipped container, or use an alternative labeling system, such as the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) or the Hazardous Materials Identification System (HMIS®).