Massachusetts Right-to-Know Act

What is the Right-to-Know Act?

The Right-to-Know Act, also known as the Hazardous Substance Disclosure by Employers, regulates how information provided in the workplace regarding chemical hazards Is provided and communicated to employees. This law has endorsed many standards similar to those in the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA). Although Massachusetts is one of several states without an approved OSHA program, the Right-to-Know act governs all public businesses, private organizations, and the rest of the public employment in the state.

Under the Right-to-Know Act, employers must provide:

• A Safety Data Sheet (used to be called Material Safety Data Sheet in 2013) for every single chemical product handled by the employee
• Labeled containers that contain hazardous chemicals or waste 
• Appropriate training and education suitable to the type of hazardous materials being handled
• Training within the first 30 days of employment
• Renewed training every year
• Training should take 1-2 hours (the time will vary on the type of chemicals used)
• Municipalities can conduct their own training
• 3^rd party trainers hired by a municipality must be qualified and registered by the Department of Labor Standards