New Hampshire Hazard Communication : What you need to know

Rules. New Hampshire is not a “state plan” state; that is, it does not have its own federally approved occupational safety and health regulatory program. Therefore, private sector employers are governed by the federal requirements for hazard communication.

Public sector (state and local government) employers in New Hampshire are excluded from coverage under federal workplace safety and health rules. The state, however, has adopted its own rule for hazard communication, the New Hampshire Worker’s Right to Know Act, that governs public sector employers. The state rule is less comprehensive than the federal hazard communication rule in most respects, except for additional requirements that employers post a warning notice about specific hazardous chemicals and that an employee may refuse to work with a chemical until a safety data sheet (SDS) is provided. See the state section OSHA for more information about regulatory requirements for public sector employers.

For detailed information on SDS requirements for public sector employers, especially concerning employee rights to the information, see the state section SDS. There are state rules for agency inspections of public sector workplaces related to hazard communication and for penalties against public sector employers for violations of the hazard communication rule. See the state sections INSPECTIONS and ENFORCEMENT for more information.

Administration and enforcement. OSHA administers and enforces hazard communication requirements for private sector employers in New Hampshire. The New Hampshire Department of Labor’s (NHDOL) Safety and Training Division administers and enforces the state’s hazard communication requirements for ...