1. (1) Article means a manufactured item other than a fluid or particle:

   1. (a) Which is formed to a specific shape or design during manufacture;
   2. (b) Which has end use function(s) dependent in whole or in part upon its shape or design during end use; and
   3. (c) Which under normal conditions of use does not release more than very small quantities, e.g., minute or trace amounts of a hazardous chemical (as determined under WAC 296-901-14008), and does not pose a physical hazard or health risk to employees.
2. (2) Bulk shipment means any hazardous chemical transported where the mode of transportation (vehicle) comprises the immediate container (i.e., contained in tanker truck, rail car, or intermodal container.)
3. (3) Chemical means any substance, or mixture of substances.
4. (4) Chemical manufacturer means an employer with a workplace where chemical(s) are produced for use or distribution.
5. (5) Chemical name means the scientific designation of a chemical the nomenclature system developed by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) or the Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) rules of nomenclature, or a name that will clearly identify the chemical for the purpose of conducting a hazard classification.
6. (6) Classification means to identify the relevant data regarding the hazards of a chemical; review those data to ascertain the hazards associated with the chemical; and decide whether the chemical will be classified as hazardous according to the definition of hazardous chemical in this section. In addition, classification for health and physical hazards includes the determination of the degree of hazard, where appropriate, by comparing the data with the criteria for health and physical hazards.
7. (7) Combustible dust means finely divided solid particles of a substance or mixture that pose a flash-fire hazard or explosion hazard when dispersed in air or other oxidizing media.
8. (8) Commercial account means an arrangement whereby a retail distributor sells hazardous chemicals to an employer, generally in large quantities over time and/or at costs that are below the regular retail price.
9. (9) Common name means any designation or identification such as code name, code number, trade name, brand name or generic name used to identify a chemical other than by its chemical name.
10. (10) Container means any bag, barrel, bottle, box, can, cylinder, drum, reaction vessel, storage tank, or the like that contains a hazardous chemical. For purposes of this section, pipes or piping systems, and engines, fuel tanks, or other operating systems in a vehicle, are not considered to be containers.
11. (11) Designated representative means any individual or organization to whom an employee gives written authorization to exercise such employee's rights under this section. A recognized or certified collective bargaining agent must be treated automatically as a designated representative without regard to written employee authorization.
12. (12) Distributor means a business, other than a chemical manufacturer or importer, which supplies hazardous chemicals to other distributors or to employers.
13. (13) Employee is a person, as defined under RCW 49.17.020(5), who may be exposed to hazardous chemicals under normal operating conditions or in foreseeable emergencies. Employees such as office workers or bank tellers who encounter hazardous chemicals only in nonroutine, isolated instances are not covered.
14. (14) Employer means an employer, as defined under RCW 49.17.020(4), engaged in a business where chemicals are either used, distributed, or are produced for use or distribution, including a contractor or subcontractor.
15. (15) Exposure or exposed means that an employee is subjected in the course of employment to a hazardous chemical and includes potential (e.g., accidental or possible) exposure. "Subjected" in terms of health hazards includes any route of entry (e.g., inhalation, ingestion, skin contact or absorption).
16. (16) Foreseeable emergency means any potential occurrence such as, but not limited to, equipment failure, rupture of containers, or failure of control equipment which could result in an uncontrolled release of a hazardous chemical into the workplace.
17. (17) Gas means a substance which: At 122°F (50°C) has a vapor pressure greater than 43.51 PSI (300 kPa) (absolute); or is completely gaseous at 68°F (20°C) at a standard pressure of 14.69 PSI (101.3 kPa).
18. (18) Hazard category means the division of criteria within each hazard class, e.g., oral acute toxicity and flammable liquids include four hazard categories. These categories compare hazard severity within a hazard class and should not be taken as a comparison of hazard categories more generally.
19. (19) Hazard class means the nature of the physical or health hazards, e.g., flammable solid, carcinogen, oral acute toxicity.
20. (20) Hazard not otherwise classified (HNOC) means an adverse physical or health effect identified through evaluation of scientific evidence during the classification process that does not meet the specified criteria for the physical and health hazard classes addressed in this section. This does not extend coverage to adverse physical and health effects for which there is a hazard class addressed in this section, but the effect either falls below the cut-off value/concentration limit of the hazard class or is under a GHS hazard category that has not been adopted by OSHA (e.g., acute toxicity Category 5).
21. (21) Hazard statement means a statement assigned to a hazard class and category that describes the nature of the hazard(s) of a chemical including, where appropriate, the degree of hazard.
22. (22) Hazardous chemical means any chemical which is classified as a physical hazard or a health hazard, a simple asphyxiant, combustible dust, or hazard not otherwise classified.
23. (23) Health hazard means a chemical which is classified as posing one of the following hazardous effects: Acute toxicity (any route of exposure); skin corrosion or irritation; serious eye damage or eye irritation; respiratory or skin sensitization; germ cell mutagenicity; carcinogenicity; reproductive toxicity; specific target organ toxicity (single or repeated exposure); or aspiration hazard. The criteria for determining whether a chemical is classified as a health hazard are detailed in WAC 296-901-14022, Appendix A—Health hazard criteria.
24. (24) Immediate outer package means the first package enclosing the container of hazardous chemical.
25. (25) Immediate use means that the hazardous chemical will be under the control of and used only by the person who transfers it from a labeled container and only within the work shift in which it is transferred.
26. (26) Importer means the first business with employees within the Customs Territory of the United States which receives hazardous chemicals produced in other countries for the purpose of supplying them to distributors or employers within the United States.
27. (27) Label means an appropriate group of written, printed or graphic information elements concerning a hazardous chemical that is affixed to, printed on, or attached to the immediate container of a hazardous chemical, or to the outside packaging.
28. (28) Label elements means the specified pictogram, hazard statement, signal word and precautionary statement for each hazard class and category.
29. (29) Liquid means a substance or mixture which at 122°F (50°C) has a vapor pressure of not more than 43.51 PSI (300 kPa (3 bar)), which is not completely gaseous at 68°F (20°C) and at a standard pressure of 14.69 PSI (101.3 kPa), and which has a melting point or initial melting point of 68°F (20°C) or less at a standard pressure of 14.69 PSI (101.3 kPa). Either ASTM D 4359-90 (2019) (Standard Test Method for Determining Whether a Material Is a Liquid or a Solid) (incorporated by reference; see § 1910.6); or the test for determining fluidity (penetrometer test) prescribed in the European Agreement Concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road (ADR), section 2.3.4 of Annex A (2019) (incorporated by reference; see § 1910.6) can establish whether a viscous substance or mixture is a liquid if a specific melting point cannot be determined.
30. (30) Mixture means a combination or a solution composed of two or more substances in which they do not react.
31. (31) Physical hazard means a chemical that is classified as posing one of the following hazardous effects: Explosive; flammable (gases, liquids, or solids); aerosols, oxidizer (liquids, solids or gases); self-reactive; pyrophoric (liquid or solid); self-heating; organic peroxide; corrosive to metal; gas under pressure; or in contact with water emits flammable gas or desensitized explosive. See the criteria for determining whether a chemical is classified as a physical hazard as detailed in WAC 296-901-14024, Appendix B—Physical hazard criteria.
32. (32) Physician or other licensed health care professional (PLHCP) means an individual whose legally permitted scope of practice (i.e., license, registration, or certification) allows the individual to independently provide or be delegated the responsibility to provide some or all of the health care services referenced in this section.
33. (33) Pictogram means a composition that may include a symbol plus other graphic elements, such as a border, background pattern, or color, that is intended to convey specific information about the hazards of a chemical. Eight pictograms are designated under this standard for application to a hazard category.
34. (34) Precautionary statement means a phrase that describes recommended measures that should be taken to minimize or prevent adverse effects resulting from exposure to a hazardous chemical, or improper storage or handling.
35. (35) Produce means to manufacture, process, formulate, blend, extract, generate, emit, or repackage.
36. (36) Product identifier means the name or number used for a hazardous chemical on a label or in the SDS. It provides a unique means by which the user can identify the chemical. The product identifier used must permit cross-references to be made among the list of hazardous chemicals required in the written hazard communication program, the label and the SDS.
37. (37) Released for shipment means a chemical that has been packaged and labeled in the manner in which it will be distributed or sold.
38. (38) Responsible party means someone who can provide additional information on the hazardous chemical and appropriate emergency procedures, if necessary.
39. (39) Safety data sheet (SDS) means written or printed material concerning a hazardous chemical that is prepared in accordance with WAC 296-901-14014.
40. (40) Signal word means a word used to indicate the relative level of severity of hazard and alert the reader to a potential hazard on the label. The signal words used in this section are "danger" and "warning." "Danger" is used for the more severe hazards, while "warning" is used for the less severe.
41. (41) Simple asphyxiant means a substance or mixture that displaces oxygen in the ambient atmosphere, and can thus cause oxygen deprivation in those who are exposed, leading to unconsciousness and death.
42. (42) Solid means a substance or mixture which does not meet the definitions of liquid or gas.
43. (43) Specific chemical identity means the chemical name, Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) Registry Number, or any other information that reveals the precise chemical designation of the substance.
44. (44) Substance means chemical elements and their compounds in the natural state or obtained by any production process, including any additive necessary to preserve the stability of the product and any impurities deriving from the process used, but excluding any solvent which may be separated without affecting the stability of the substance or changing its composition.
45. (45) Trade secret means any confidential formula, pattern, process, device, information or compilation of information that is used in an employer's business, and that gives the employer an opportunity to obtain an advantage over competitors who do not know or use it. WAC 296-901-14030, Appendix E—Definition of "trade secret," sets out the criteria to be used in evaluating trade secrets.
46. (46) Use means to package, handle, react, emit, extract, generate as a by-product, or transfer.
47. (47) Work area means a room or defined space in a workplace where hazardous chemicals are produced or used, and where employees are present.
48. (48) Workplace means an establishment, job site, or project, at one geographical location containing one or more work areas.

[Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, 49.17.040, 49.17.050, 49.17.060, and chapter 49.17 RCW. WSR 26-02-011, s 296-901-14006, filed 12/30/25, effective 2/1/26. Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, 49.17.040, 49.17.050, 49.17.060 and 29 C.F.R. 1910 Subpart Z. WSR 14-07-086, § 296-901-14006, filed 3/18/14, effective 5/1/14; WSR 13-06-050, § 296-901-14006, filed 3/5/13, effective 4/15/13.]