Solutions for Safety & Visual Communication

Favorites

Monday-Friday 5:30am-4:00pm PT

1-888-326-9244

Graphic Products
  • Resources
  • Support
  • Samples
  • Contact
  • Shop All Products
    CLOSE

    CATEGORIES
    • Printers
    • Printer Supply
    • Floor Marking
    • Pipe Marking
    • Signs & Labels
    • COVID-19 Solutions

    DuraLabel Kodiak

    DuraLabel Kodiak
    Multi-color, large format

    KODIAK SUPPLIES
    DuraLabel Toro

    DuraLabel Toro
    Portable, stand-alone

    TORO SUPPLIES
    DuraLabel Bronco

    DuraLabel Bronco
    Industrial, efficient

    BRONCO SUPPLIES
    DuraLabel Lobo

    DuraLabel Lobo
    Grab n' go labeler

    LOBO SUPPLIES
    DuraLabel Pro Series

    DuraLabel PRO 300
    Simple and reliable

    PRO 300 SUPPLIES

    LABELING SOFTWARE PRINTER ACCESSORIES PRINTER SUPPORT SHOP ALL PRINTERS
    SHOP BY APPLICATION
    Arc Flash GHS & HazCom Laboratory Pipe Labeling Wire Marking See All
    SUPPLY TYPE
    General Purpose High Visibility Low/High Temperatures Repositionable Tamper Resistant See All
    SHOP BY PRINTER
    Kodiak Supplies Toro Supplies Bronco Supplies Lobo Supplies DLP 300 Supplies See All

    RIBBONS PRINTER & SUPPLY BUNDLES SHOP ALL SUPPLIES
    FLOOR TAPES
    5S Aisle Glow in the Dark Reflective Anti-Slip See All
    FLOOR SIGNS
    BUNDLES
    SHAPES
    ACCESSORIES
    Applicators Stair Safety Floor Laminate
    Social Distancing Floor Signs

    SHOP ALL FLOOR TAPES
    STANDARD PIPE MARKERS
    Fire Quenching Flammable / Oxidizing Toxic or Corrosive Compressed Air Various Water See All
    AMMONIA
    Pipe Markers Component Markers See All
    SHOP BY STANDARD
    ANSI IIAR Pre-2007 ANSI
    flammable-pipe-markers

    ARROW BANDING TAPE ACCESSORIES VALVE TAGS SHOP ALL PIPE MARKERS
    SHOP BY SUBJECT
    Admittance Chemical Electrical Emergency PPE See All
    SHOP BY HEADER
    Caution Danger Notice Safety Warning See All
    COVID-19 Premade Signs

    SHOP ALL SAFETY SIGNS
    COVID-19 SOLUTIONS
    Safety Signs Printer Kits Awareness Posters A-Frame Signs Sneeze Guards
    SOCIAL DISTANCING
    Wall Signs & Labels Floor Signs Floor Tape Shop All
    COVID-19 BY INDUSTRY
    Grocery & Retail Medical & Healthcare Office Settings Restaurants & Food Service Food Manufacturing Construction
     
    Manufacturing Finance Transportation Education

    SHOP ALL COVID-19 SOLUTIONS
  • My Account
  • Quick Order
    Enter item SKU# and quantity
  • Cart()
Monday-Friday 5:30am-4:00pm PT 1-888-326-9244
Graphic Products
Menu Sign In
Products
Printers
Shop All Printers
Industrial Printers
Shop All Industrial Printers DuraLabel Toro DuraLabel Kodiak DuraLabel Bronco DuraLabel Lobo DuraLabel Pro 300
Bundles & Starter Kits
Shop All Bundles & Starter Kits
Labeling Software
Software DuraSuite Labeling Software LabelForge Labeling Software
Printer Supply
Shop All Printer Supply
Shop by Application
Shop All by Application Arc Flash GHS & Hazcom Laboratory Pipe Labeling Wire Marking
Shop by Supply Type
Shop All by Supply Type General Purpose High Visibility Low/High Temperatures Repositionable Tamper Resistant
Shop by Printer
Shop All by Printer DuraLabel Kodiak DuraLabel Toro DuraLabel Bronco DuraLabel Lobo DuraLabel Pro 300
Other
Shop All Other Ribbons Printer & Supply Bundle
Floor Marking
Shop All Floor Marking
Floor Tape
Shop All Floor Tape 5S Aisle Glow in the Dark Reflective Anti-Slip
Floor Signs
Shop All Floor Signs
Accessories
Shop All Accessories Stair Safety Floor Laminate
Other
Shop All Other Bundles Shapes
Safety Signs & Labels
Shop All Safety Signs
Shop by Subject
Shop All by Subject Admittance Chemical Electrical Emergency PPE
Shop by Header
Shop All by Header Caution Danger Notice Safety Warning
COVID-19 Solutions
Shop All COVID-19 Solutions
COVID-19 Solutions
Safety Signs Printer Kits Awareness Posters A-Frame Signs Sneeze Guards
Social Distancing
Wall Signs & Labels Floor Signs Floor Tape Shop All
COVID-19 by Industry
Grocery & Retail Medical & Healthcare Office Settings Restaurants & Food Service Food Manufacturing Construction Manufacturing Finance Transportation Education
Pipe Markers & Tags
Shop All Pipe Markers & Tags
Standard Pipe Markers
Shop All Standard Pipe Markers Fire Quenching Flammable/Oxidizing Toxic or Corrosive Compressed Air Various Water
Ammonia
Shop All Ammonia Pipe Markers Component Markers
Shop by Standard
Shop All by Standard ANSI IIAR Pre-2007 ANSI
Other
Shop All Other Arrow Banding Tape Accessories Valve Tags
Resources
Support
Free Samples
Contact Us
Cart
Sign In
  • Home
  • Resources
  • Articles
  • Red Diamonds on HazCom 2012 Labels

Red Diamonds on HazCom 2012 Labels

BY GRAPHIC PRODUCTS STAFF

Six elements of information must be present on the typical HazCom 2012 chemical label, as listed in OSHA’s regulations. These elements are the product identifier and signal word, the hazard statements and precautionary statements, the supplier identification, and the hazard pictograms. All of these elements must be “prominently displayed” on the container.

Pictograms with Style

Part of that “prominent display” is a specific style for the pictograms. Each pictogram must appear in black, on a white background, with a red diamond-shaped border. (OSHA calls this a “square-on-point” design.) This arrangement is easy to spot and recognize. Presenting the symbols in a consistent way will help ensure that workers understand what the symbols mean.

However, this requirement means that each label needs to have two printed colors (red and black) on a white background. Most industrial printers are designed to print in a single color. With that restriction, how can you make compliant labels?

Matched Label Stocks

Example of a label with two pictograms, printed on stock with two diamonds.

While common industrial printers can only lay down one color, that doesn’t mean the final result is limited to that one color. Pre-printed label stock can be provided with a number of red diamond outlines already in place. Load the right supply into your printer, add the chemical’s details and pictograms in black, and you get a complete and compliant label.

According to OSHA’s HazCom 2012 rules, every pictogram on a label needs a red border, but no red border can appear without a pictogram in it. As a result, you may need one roll of stock pre-printed with two diamonds on each label, one roll with three diamonds, and so on. You’ll need to match the label stock to the chemical that you’re labeling.

Blacked-Out Diamonds

Example of a label with two pictograms, printed on stock with three diamonds.

But what if you only have pre-printed label stock with three diamonds, and your chemical only needs two pictograms?

In a letter of interpretation, OSHA responded to a possible workaround for this problem. An employer had a stockpile of pre-printed label stock with too many diamonds. The employer suggested printing a solid black section on the label, covering up the unwanted red diamond. No pictogram, no diamond, no problem.

According to the OSHA response, this is an acceptable solution! While the result isn’t as clean and professional-looking as a label with the right number of diamonds, it allows employers to print compliant labels using a single type of pre-printed material.

How Do I Do That?

This approach can be done automatically with the DuraSuite software from Graphic Products. Just follow these steps:

  1. Find the entry for your chemical with DuraSuite’s search function, or enter the data for the chemical normally.
  2. Open the Tools menu from the menu bar, and choose Options. A new window will open.
  3. In this window, go to the Module Settings tab, and check the box for “Force template to specific symbol count.”
  4. Choose the number of diamonds that are pre-printed on your label stock.
  5. Click OK to apply the change and close the window.

You’ll see the label design change to show the number of red diamond outlines that you selected. Any unused diamonds will be covered in black. This design can be printed on any of the DuraLabel industrial label printers, saving you the trouble of changing out different rolls of label stock for different chemicals.

Multi-Color Printing

If you don’t like the look of black sections on your chemical label, but you don’t want to deal with different label stocks for different chemicals, there’s still one more approach. You could use a multi-color printer for your HazCom 2012 labeling.

This opens up a different problem, though. Most multi-color or full-color printers don’t produce durable results. A typical inkjet office printer, for example, can print out a compliant label. But if that label gets wet, the printing will run or smear, leaving an unreadable mess. The paper label materials that these printers typically use won’t stand up to spills or abrasion. How do you ensure that your chemical labels are durable enough to do the job?

This is where the DuraLabel Catalyst comes in. This system is specifically built for industrial-quality label printing. It uses a polyester-based label stock and prints using a specially-engineered set of toners. Labels created with the Catalyst have been independently certified for compliance with British Standard (BS) 5609, which involves merciless weather testing in seawater. Even though they’re printed with a multi-color system, these labels stand up to severe environments.

Whether you use matched label stocks, blacked-out diamonds, or a multi-color approach, our support team is ready to help you with your HazCom chemical labeling.

For a comprehensive explanation of HazCom 2012, download our free HazCom 2012 Labeling Guide by clicking below!

Best Practice Guide to HazCom 2012 Labeling
This free HazCom training program will help you and your team get up to speed!

Related Resources

HazCom

HazCom

Get the history of OSHA's HazCom 2012 rules, a breakdown of a compliant label, and essential info for chemical safety.

Read
HazCom 2012 Labeling

HazCom 2012 Guide

Get an overview of OSHA's chemical labeling rules, elements of a HazCom 2012 label, and how to meet requirements.

Download
BS5609 Compliance and GHS

BS5609 Compliance and GHS

Find out how to label chemical containers for shipment by sea in compliance with the British Standard BS5609 and GHS

Read
  • This free HazCom training program will help you and your team get up to speed!
Get the latest deals straight to your inbox
Trusted by These Companies
Starbucks
GM
Du Pont
Amazon
Disney
3M
Pepsi
NASA
Chevron
AT&T
Toyota
Coca-Cola
UPS
Target
  • Graphic Products, Inc.
    9825 SW Sunshine Ct
    Beaverton, OR
    97005 USA

  • 1-888-326-9244 (U.S./Canada)
  • +1-503-644-5572 (International)
  • Products
  • Printers
  • Printer Supplies
  • Safety Signs
  • Safety Labels
  • Floor Marking
  • Pipe Markers & Tags
  • Catalog
  • Support
  • Shipping & Returns
  • Manage Account
  • Printer Support
  • Warranties
  • Resources
  • Resource Center
  • Guides
  • Articles
  • Video Library
  • Safety Blog
  • Infographics
  • Webinars
  • Company
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Become a Dealer
  • Find a Dealer
  • Press Room

Need Help?

Give us a call at 1-888-326-9244 and speak with an expert.

Customer Reviews
  • Copyright © 2021
  • All Rights Reserved
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Shipping and Returns
  • Privacy Policy
  • Do Not Sell My Personal Data