• Relabeling containers may be necessary in some situations.

While employers are never required under the HazCom standard to re-label already labeled containers, there are several situations in which relabeling may be needed:

1. If the received quantity of a chemical is broken down into smaller containers, employers need to label these containers.
2. Labels that fall off or become unreadable must be replaced.
3. Relabeling incoming containers for a company-wide uniform labeling system. This also makes training easier because the employer only needs to explain one system of labels.

Although an employer may choose to provide additional information, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA’s) requirements are limited to that required to convey the hazards to users. Other data regarding protective measures and first aid are included on the safety data sheet (SDS) or covered during training. In evaluating the effectiveness of labels, OSHA has found that the more detail that appears on a label, the less likely it is that users will read and act on the information.