California Hazard Communication Program (HazCom) Template

A complete California HazCom program template, ready to customize.

Title 8, California Code of Regulations, §5194 requires California employers with hazardous chemicals in the workplace to have a written hazard communication program that employees can access and understand. This template gives you that document — complete, organized the way §5194 requires, and written in plain language your supervisors and employees can actually use.

What’s inside

• 13 sections: safety policy and management commitment, assignment of responsibilities, scope and hazard determination, hazardous chemical inventory, container labeling and other forms of warning, Safety Data Sheets, employee information and training, non-routine tasks and unlabeled pipes, multi-employer workplaces and contractor notification, Proposition 65 warnings, employee access, recordkeeping, and program review
• California-specific provisions throughout, including the §5194 missing-Safety-Data-Sheet procedure, the 30-day notice for new or revised Safety Data Sheets, and employee access rules
• Coverage of the 2024 federal Hazard Communication update for new-format labels and Safety Data Sheets
• Seven appendices: hazardous chemical inventory form, Safety Data Sheet request and availability log, employee training record, secondary container label template, non-routine task hazard review and unlabeled pipe record, contractor / multi-employer information exchange form, and employee acknowledgement
• A step-by-step customization guide — every place you need to add your company information is marked with brackets

Who this is for

California employers — manufacturing, warehousing, construction, laboratories, auto shops, and any other workplace where employees work with or around hazardous chemicals — who need a compliant written program without paying consultant rates to draft one from scratch.

How it works

Instant download after checkout. You receive an editable Microsoft Word document (.docx). Replace the bracketed fields with your company information, build your chemical inventory, make sure labels and Safety Data Sheets are in place, train your employees, and file the forms as you use them.

Important: This is a template. It must be customized to your workplace and actually implemented — a written program sitting in a binder does not satisfy §5194. This product is a compliance aid prepared by safety professionals; it is not legal advice and does not guarantee that Cal/OSHA will find your program adequate.

Frequently asked questions

Is a written hazard communication program required in California?
Yes. Title 8, California Code of Regulations, §5194 requires California employers with hazardous chemicals in the workplace to maintain a written hazard communication program, make it available to employees, and train employees on the hazards they may encounter. Cal/OSHA can ask to see it in any inspection.

What format is the template in?
An editable Microsoft Word document (.docx), delivered as an instant download after checkout. Every place you need to add your company information is marked with brackets, and a customization guide walks you through them.

What do I need to customize it?
Your company name and workplace addresses, the name of the person responsible for the program, where your chemical inventory and Safety Data Sheets are kept, and your training schedule. The guide lists every bracketed field in order.

How is this different from the federal edition?
This California edition is built specifically to §5194, including California’s missing-Safety-Data-Sheet procedure, the 30-day notice rule for new or revised Safety Data Sheets, and a Proposition 65 warnings section. The federal edition is built to 29 CFR 1910.1200 for employers under federal OSHA jurisdiction.

Does buying this template make my company compliant?
No document can do that by itself. §5194 requires a written program that is actually implemented — inventory maintained, containers labeled, Safety Data Sheets accessible, training delivered, records kept. This program gives you the complete written structure and the forms to run it; the implementation is what makes it effective.