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Fiberglass product warning label under hazard communication

Summary A manufacturer asked OSHA to review warning language for products containing fiberglass wool. OSHA said the submitted label's cancer and irritation warnings appeared to meet the intent of the Hazard Communication Standard for that particular product. The letter also said no enforcement action on that issue was pending against the company.
Document
Federal opinion letter
Agency
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
Document number
1991-06-28
Date issued
June 28, 1991
Status
Archived by the agency
OSHA labels this an archive document that may no longer represent policy.
Status last verified October 9, 2026
Topics
Workplace Safety OSHA 1910 Hazard Communication Labels
Source
View the official document

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The current status of this document is unclear
OSHA labels this an archive document that may no longer represent policy. It may no longer reflect the agency's current position. Treat this page as historical context, not current guidance, and verify current law before relying on anything here.
About this page: The full text below is the official document from Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Ezel adds the plain-English summary and tracks the document's status. The official source linked on this page is authoritative for any reliance.

NOTICE: This is an OSHA Archive Document, and may no longer represent OSHA Policy. It is presented here as historical content, for research and review purposes only.

June 28, 1991

Mr. Thomas R. Hays
Director, Environmental Law
Owens-Corning Fiberglass Corporation
[Recipient address omitted]
Dear Mr. Hays:

Thank you for your letter of May 30, regarding the warning labels of Owens-Corning Fiberglass products under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) Hazard Communication Standard, 29 CFR 1910.1200. Your letter forwarded for our review a copy of a "new" label intended for use by Owens-Corning for products that contain fiberglass wool.

The label you forwarded contains the following hazard warning: "Contains fiberglass wool. Possible cancer hazard. To avoid this possible cancer hazard, minimize breathing fiberglass wool dust." In addition, the warning: "May cause irritation to skin, eyes and respiratory tract" also appears on the label.

This specific language serves to provide employees with appropriate hazard warning information for this particular product. The label appears to meet the intent of the HCS and would therefore be in compliance with the requirements of OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard. We might add that OSHA has no enforcement action pending against your company in this matter.

We hope this information is helpful to you and appreciate your patience for the delay of this response. Please feel free to contact us again if we can be of further assistance.

Sincerely,
Patricia K. Clark, Director
Directorate of Compliance Programs

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