Companies must now report chemical hazards using the same terms as safety data sheets

The US environmental regulators are updating how companies report hazardous chemicals. This means companies will use the same hazard categories and terms that are already on their safety data sheets.

For years, companies had to translate chemical hazard information from one set of rules to another when reporting to the government. This created extra work and could lead to mistakes. Now, the reporting system will directly match the information already provided by chemical manufacturers, which should make it easier for facilities to comply and for first responders to understand the risks.