Under the Rhode Island Hazardous Substance Right-to-Know Act, employers must tell employees if there are any hazardous substances in their workplace. Furthermore, employers must submit a filing to the Department of Labor and Training that discloses the hazardous substances which contain any of the chemicals and compounds on the official Rhode Island hazardous substance list.
All employers must initially complete and file this form even if there are no hazardous chemicals in the workplace and they are exempt. The Department of Labor and Training receives more than 10,000 such registrations each year.
"The Right-to-Know Act is an important law designed to educate and train both employers and employees about the dangers of hazardous substances being used, stored or transported in the workplace," said Kathy Serrecchia, assistant director of the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training. "The ability to complete the Right-to-Know form online makes it easier for businesses to comply with the law and allows us to schedule and conduct inspections in an expeditious manner."
By inputting a customer record number, any business can update address information, file for exempt status, add or verify existing substances already on file and pay the registration fee with a Visa or MasterCard through RI.gov's secure payment server. Additionally, every business must attest that all employees who are exposed to any hazardous substances have received training as specified under the law.
