If You’re Just Hitting ‘Print,’ You’re Doing HazCom Wrong

In this Hack Your Hazcom episode kicking off the show’s second year, Atanu invites audience feedback at hackyourhazcom.com and is joined by labeling experts Steve Donze and Nathan Stellman of Empower Label (formerly Brandywine Drum Labels) to discuss how labeling programs become compliance and safety liabilities. They explain common HazCom breakdowns between requirements and field reality, especially with secondary and small containers that go unlabeled or are illegible, as well as issues with outdated SDS information, inconsistent processes across sites, and insufficient employee training. The conversation covers durability failures from UV, rain, abrasion, solvents, and poor printer settings, plus best practices for replacing labels and identifying unknown containers. They also compare thermal transfer, laser, and inkjet options, emphasize a “three-legged stool” of software, labels, and printers, and highlight how strong labeling improves efficiency, audit readiness, and incident response. 00:00 Year Two Kickoff 00:56 Meet the Labeling Pros 02:23 Where Hazcom Breaks Down 05:51 Secondary Container Pitfalls 08:42 Small Container Rule Updates 10:35 Real World Label Failures 12:54 Harsh Environment Best Practices 16:35 Choosing Materials and Printers 20:49 Managing Multiple Label Systems 22:36 Centralized Labeling Systems 27:51 Software Labels Printers Trio 31:25 Printing Choices and Durability 36:04 Choosing Printer Types 37:19 Pictograms and Color Limits 39:23 Laser and Inkjet Tradeoffs 41:01 Bring Key Stakeholders 42:40 Fixing Print Failures 47:20 Labeling by Container Size 52:10 Solvent Exposure Troubleshooting 58:04 Efficiency Beyond Compliance 01:01:57 Audit Readiness and Safety 01:05:31 Common Hazcom Gaps 01:08:19 Final Takeaways and Wrap