What this is
What is a workplace label record?
What is a workplace label record?
A workplace label record specifies the exact content, format and durability requirements for the label a product must carry once decanted or transferred out of its original supplier container. It is prepared against the substance's current safety data sheet and reissued whenever that sheet changes in a way that affects the hazard information.
Why is a workplace label different from a supplier label?
A supplier label covers the drum or pail the product arrived in, fixed by the manufacturer. The moment the product is poured into a spray bottle or bucket, the supplier's label no longer travels with it, and a workplace label becomes a separate legal requirement.
Who prepares a workplace label record?
Typically the chemical coordinator, working from the current safety data sheet rather than the supplier's own wording. Approval sits with whoever signs off the chemical safety programme, since an incorrect label is where a worker's exposure information can go wrong.
Scope
When is a workplace label record required?
This record is one step in the chemical safety programme: it specifies the label a decanted container must carry, rather than verifying any particular container currently has it. Using it as evidence a bottle is correctly labelled skips the checklist that actually confirms that.
Use this template when
- A substance is being decanted or transferred out of its original supplier container for the first time
- The safety data sheet for a substance already in use has been revised in a way that affects hazard information
- A new record is needed; each one gets its own ID in the form WLB-2026-000
- The chemical safety programme needs an approved label specification before decanting begins
- A linked record needs this one to exist, most commonly the decanting checklist that will apply it
Do not use it for
- Safety Data Sheet, which holds the full sixteen-section record for the substance and is the source this record is built from
- Chemical Decanting Checklist, which verifies a specific decanting event actually applied the approved label to the actual container
- Chemical Risk Assessment, which evaluates the decanting task and its controls, rather than what the resulting label must say
- Chemical and Substance Register, which is the site's inventory of substances, not the label content for any one
- Hazard Communication Training, which teaches a worker to read and act on a label, rather than defining what one contains
Compliance mapping
Which WHMIS 2015 workplace label requirements does this satisfy?
WHMIS 2015 is specific about what a workplace label must contain, though it leaves the physical format open. Defensibility rests on whether the content matches the current SDS and whether the label survives where it is used.
| Clause | Requirement | Where it lands |
|---|---|---|
| WHMIS 2015 workplace label content requirements | A workplace label must show the product identifier, matching the one on the current SDS | Label content |
| WHMIS 2015 workplace label content requirements | Hazard information sufficient for safe handling in the circumstances of use, in words rather than a copy of the full hazard statements | Label content |
| WHMIS 2015 workplace label content requirements | A statement or reference indicating an SDS is available, and where | Label content |
| WHMIS 2015 hazard pictogram requirements | Pictograms shown must be consistent with the classification on the current SDS where the format calls for them | Label content |
| WHMIS 2015 employer duty to label at point of use | A workplace label must be applied at the time a product is decanted out of its original supplier container | Practicality |
| WHMIS 2015 workplace label durability expectation | The label must remain legible and intact for as long as the product is used from that container, given the conditions of use | Practicality |
| WHMIS 2015 label maintenance duty | A workplace label must be reissued, and superseded stock withdrawn, when the SDS is revised in a way that affects the hazard information | Control |
What it does not cover
- Safety Data Sheet, which holds the full sixteen-section source document this record is built from, and remains the authority if the two disagree.
- Chemical Decanting Checklist, which confirms a specific decanting event actually produced a labelled container, not that a specification exists.
- Chemical Risk Assessment, which evaluates the decanting task, ventilation, PPE and spill exposure, rather than the label's wording.
- Chemical and Substance Register, which is the site's inventory record of substances present, independent of what any container is labelled.
- Hazard Communication Training, which teaches a worker to read the label this record specifies, rather than defining or verifying it.
Global
Workplace Label Record requirements by country
The duty to label a decanted container exists across the major hazard communication regimes; what differs is the exact content mandated and how far the format is prescribed.
WHMIS 2015 workplace label requirements, implemented through provincial and territorial OHS regulation
Labels must carry the product identifier, safe handling information, and reference to the SDS, though exact wording and format are left to the employer.
The record's job is to fix that wording once, against the current SDS, so it is not reinvented each time a container is filled.
OSHA Hazard Communication Standard, 29 CFR 1910.1200(f)(6), workplace labelling for portable containers
A container filled and used immediately by the same employee is exempt, but any container held beyond immediate use still needs identification and hazard information.
Sites under both regimes should treat the stricter WHMIS content requirement as the baseline, since the US exemption is narrower than often assumed.
GHS, the UN Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals
Provides the pictograms, signal words and hazard statement structure workplace labels typically draw on, even where a shortened format is permitted.
Using GHS elements consistently, rather than an ad hoc abbreviation, keeps the label legible to a worker trained on the standard system.
How to complete it
How to complete a workplace label record, step by step
The template prompts for wording and a set of practicality checks; what determines whether the label protects anyone is the discipline applied to both.
The identifier on the label must match the SDS identifier exactly, because that match lets a worker or an investigator connect a container to the correct document. A shortened house name that seems obviously equivalent is still a mismatch the form is right to flag.
The help text is explicit this is plain wording, not a reproduction of the full hazard statements from the SDS. A label crowded with copied text becomes illegible at the size a bottle allows, defeating the requirement it was meant to satisfy.
Legible at arm's length, durable, and resistant to the product are three separate judgements, and a wash-down bay, a cold store and a dry shelf each demand a different answer. Specifying a resistant material only where required keeps the section meaningful rather than a default tick.
A supplier revision that changes the hazard classification makes every label built from the old sheet wrong immediately, not at the next audit. Reviewed On SDS Revision and Superseded Labels Withdrawn exist to force that link, not to be ticked as routine.
What auditors find
Most common workplace label record findings
Findings concern a mismatch between the label and the safety data sheet, or a specification correct on paper that failed in the environment it was actually used in.
| Finding | Clause | What fixes it |
|---|---|---|
| Product identifier on the label does not match the SDS identifier exactly. | WHMIS 2015 workplace label content requirements | Correct the identifier against the current SDS before further labels are printed. |
| Hazard information reproduces the full hazard statement text rather than plain wording sized to the container. | WHMIS 2015 workplace label content requirements | Rewrite as short plain wording; full statements belong on the SDS, not the label. |
| Label carries no reference to the SDS being available. | WHMIS 2015 workplace label content requirements | Add the statement and, where practical, the location the sheet can be found. |
| Paper label becomes illegible within a shift in a wash-down or high-moisture area. | WHMIS 2015 workplace label durability expectation | Specify a durable, water-resistant material rated for the actual environment. |
| SDS was revised with a hazard change, but the label was not reissued and old stock not withdrawn. | WHMIS 2015 label maintenance duty | Link SDS revision events to a forced label review, and record withdrawal of stock. |
| No blank labels available at the decanting point, so containers are filled unlabelled or handwritten. | WHMIS 2015 employer duty to label at point of use | Stock compliant blank labels, or a printer, at every point decanting takes place. |
Case in point
Case in point: the label that was correct on paper and unreadable on the bottle
A site decanted a floor stripper into spray bottles for a wash-down bay. The label record on file was accurate: correct identifier, plain-wording hazard information, and a reference to the SDS, approved two years earlier and printed on standard adhesive paper, which Practicality had marked legible and resistant at the time.
In the bay's actual conditions, the paper label softened and the print smeared within a shift. Rather than reprint, workers kept refilling the same bottle over successive weeks, replacing the label with a handwritten note reading only 'stripper'. A worker unfamiliar with the product handled it without gloves, believing it was a diluted general cleaner, and sustained a chemical burn. The wording had never been wrong; the material it was printed on had failed the environment it was used in, and nobody had reissued it once that became visible.
The template
The template, field by field
The form exactly as it installs. Every field, option, score and conditional rule is editable, and the links to other templates come with it.
4 sections
- Reference
- SAF-177
- Archetype
- Reference
- Record ID
- WLB-2026-000
- Scoring
- Not scored
- Direction
- n/a
- Singleton
- No
- Basis
- WHMIS 2015 workplace label
- Links
- Links Safety Data Sheet and Decanting Checklist
- Tags
- Chemical, Label, Reference
- Sections
- 4
- Fields
- 41
- Follow up fields
- 4
- Repeating sections
- 0
- Links out
- 4
Header
11 fieldsLabel ID*
Auto sequence. Format WLB-2026-000.
The record's own ID. Other templates point at this value.
Status*
Drives who this goes to next.
- Planned2 pts
- In progress2 pts
- Complete3 pts
- Deferred0 pts
- Open0 pts
- Closed3 pts
- Overdue0 pts
Version*
Date Prepared*
Prepared By*
Site
Site ID
Format SITE-000.
Links to FDN-001 Site ID
SDS ID*
Links to SAF-176 SDS ID
Product Identifier*
Next Review Due*
The Moment A Product Leaves Its Original Container
A supplier label covers the drum it arrived in. Decant into a spray bottle or a bucket and a workplace label is required, because the person using it no longer has the supplier's words in front of them.
Label content
11 fieldsProduct Identifier On Label*
Must match the identifier on the safety data sheet exactly.
Matches SDS Identifier*
- Yes2 pts
- No0 pts
- N/Aexcluded from denominator
Diluted Or As Supplied*
Dilution Ratio
Hazard Information*
Plain wording, not a copy of the full H statements.
Precautionary Measures*
First Aid Measures On Label*
Reference To The Safety Data Sheet*
A workplace label must tell the reader that a data sheet exists and where to find it.
- Yes2 pts
- No0 pts
- N/Aexcluded from denominator
Pictograms Shown
Language Or Languages Used
Symbols Used Alongside Text*
- Yes2 pts
- No0 pts
- N/Aexcluded from denominator
Practicality
6 fieldsLegible At Arm Length*
- Yes2 pts
- No0 pts
- N/Aexcluded from denominator
Durable In The Working Environment*
A paper label in a wash down area lasts a shift. That is how unlabelled bottles appear.
- Yes2 pts
- No0 pts
- N/Aexcluded from denominator
Resistant To The Product Itself*
- Yes2 pts
- No0 pts
- N/Aexcluded from denominator
Container Type
Applied At The Point Of Decanting*
- Yes2 pts
- No0 pts
- N/Aexcluded from denominator
Blank Labels Available At Decant Point*
- Yes2 pts
- No0 pts
- N/Aexcluded from denominator
Control
13 fieldsApproved By*
Printed Copies Issued
Superseded Labels Withdrawn
- Yes2 pts
- No0 pts
- N/Aexcluded from denominator
Reviewed On SDS Revision*
A supplier revision that changes the hazard makes every workplace label wrong until it is reissued.
- Yes2 pts
- No0 pts
- N/Aexcluded from denominator
Decanting Checklist ID
Links to SAF-089 Check ID
Action Required*
Raise the action record, then enter its reference here.
- No2 pts
- Yes0 pts
Priority
- High0 pts
- Medium1 pt
- Low3 pts
CAPA ID
Format CAPA-2026-00000.
Links to FDN-014 CAPA ID
Action Owner
Prepared By*
Signature*
Safety Lead*
Second Signature*
SAF-177 · record IDs look like WLB-2026-000 · Links Safety Data Sheet and Decanting Checklist
Open in KnowellaRun it with agents
From a document you fill in to a programme that runs itself
The label specification is easy to get right on paper. What slips is whether the physical label survives its environment, and whether an SDS revision reaches every container it should invalidate.
Holds the workplace label record against the current SDS, flags a mismatch on identifier or hazard information, and routes reissue when the sheet changes.
Connects the approved label content to the hazard communication training that teaches a worker to read it, so the two describe the same product.
Links the decanting event and any spill response to the label that was, or should have been, on the container at the time.
Watches for an SDS revision that should trigger a label reissue, and raises it rather than waiting for the next scheduled review.
This template lives in KnowSafe — safety and compliance. Incidents, hazards, permits, inspections and the critical controls behind them.
Meet KnowSafe→Glossary
Workplace Label Record definitions and key terms
- Workplace label
- The label a decanted or transferred container must carry once it leaves its original supplier packaging, additional to the supplier's own label.
- Supplier label
- The label fixed by the manufacturer to the original container, covering that container only, and not travelling with a decanted portion.
- Decanting
- Transferring a product from its original supplier container into a secondary container such as a spray bottle, bucket or dispenser.
- Pictogram
- A GHS hazard symbol on a diamond, shown on a label where the product's classification calls for it.
- Superseded label
- A workplace label version made obsolete by an SDS revision, to be withdrawn from stock and use once the reissued version exists.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about workplace label record
What must a workplace label say, at minimum, under WHMIS 2015?+
The product identifier matching the SDS, plain-wording hazard information sufficient for safe handling, and a statement that an SDS is available. Pictograms are expected where the classification calls for them.
Does a workplace label need to show pictograms?+
Where the classification calls for them, yes, consistent with the current SDS. A label marked N/A on the pictogram field is legitimate for a product needing no hazard class shown.
When must a workplace label be reissued?+
Whenever the SDS it is built from changes in a way that affects the hazard information. Waiting for a scheduled review date treats a known change as undiscovered.
Can a handwritten label satisfy the requirement?+
Only if it carries the required content: matching identifier, hazard information and reference to the SDS. A handwritten note is rarely complete and is the pattern most likely to produce an under-labelled container.
Who is responsible for applying the label at the point of decanting?+
The employer's duty is to ensure it happens at that point, in practice whoever decants the product, supported by blank labels or a printer being available there.
What happens to labels already applied when the SDS is revised?+
They become superseded and should be withdrawn as the reissued version rolls out. Superseded Labels Withdrawn records that the old version was actually removed.
Keep going
Related templates and programmes
Industries this is written for
Programmes this belongs to
Used together in Chemical Safety and WHMIS
Spill Report
Records a release of chemical, fuel, oil or wastewater
Spill Response Record
Records what was done to contain, clean up and dispose of a spill
Chemical Substitution Assessment
Assesses whether a hazardous substance can be replaced by something safer, and what the substitute brings with it
Restricted Substance Compliance Record
Records compliance with restricted substance obligations covering ozone depleting gases, persistent chemicals and packaging materials
Explosive Atmosphere Zoning Record
Records the zoning of areas where flammable dust or vapour can form an explosive atmosphere, and the equipment permitted there
Chemical and Substance Register
Lists every chemical and hazardous substance held on site, with quantity, location and hazard class
More in Safety Data Sheets
Safety Data Sheet
Holds the full sixteen section safety data sheet for one substance, in the order fixed by GHS and adopted by WHMIS 2015 and OSHA 1910
Safety Data Sheet Request
Raised by anybody who finds a product with no sheet, an out of date sheet or one they cannot read
Data Sheet Availability Check
Checks that a data sheet can actually be found in the area, by the people working there, on any shift
Written and reviewed by
Siddarth Singh
Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Knowella
Certified Safety Professional and industrial and systems engineer with more than a decade inside food supply chain, freight and manufacturing operations. This page was written against the current text of the standards it cites, not against secondary summaries of them.
- Certified Safety Professional (CSP), Board of Certified Safety Professionals
- MBA, University of Chicago Booth School of Business
- MS and BS, The Ohio State University, Industrial and Systems Engineering
- Six Sigma Black Belt
Sources and last review. Reviewed 16 August 2026 against:
- WHMIS 2015 — workplace label content and format requirements
- WHMIS 2015 — Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System
- OSHA 1910.1200(f)(6) — workplace labelling, portable containers
- GHS — UN Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling
This page is general guidance, not legal advice. Confirm requirements with your jurisdiction’s regulator.