Federal gasoline warning label requirements come from four different agencies, and which one applies depends on where the fuel is. OSHA governs labels on workplace containers through the Hazard Communication Standard aligned with the Globally Harmonized System (GHS). The Consumer Product Safety Commission governs portable gas cans sold to the public. The FTC and EPA govern the labels on retail pumps. The Department of Transportation governs placards on trucks and railcars moving gasoline in bulk. Each regime has its own required elements, and violations of the OSHA rule alone can reach $165,514 per instance.
Workplace Containers: OSHA and GHS
Every container of gasoline in a workplace must carry a label meeting the Hazard Communication Standard at 29 CFR 1910.1200. The label needs six elements: a signal word, hazard statements, pictograms, precautionary statements, the product identifier, and the supplier’s name and address.1eCFR. 29 CFR 1910.1200 – Hazard Communication Because OSHA aligned this standard with the UN’s Globally Harmonized System, the label on a gasoline drum in a Texas auto shop looks the same as the label on one in Oregon.
Signal Word
Gasoline labels carry the signal word “Danger.” GHS reserves “Danger” for the more severe end of each hazard class, and gasoline falls into severe categories for flammability, aspiration toxicity, and carcinogenicity, so the milder alternative “Warning” does not apply.2Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Hazard Communication Standard: Labels and Pictograms
Hazard Statements
Hazard statements describe the specific risks in standardized language. Every applicable statement must appear on the label. For gasoline these typically include:
- H225: Highly flammable liquid and vapor
- H304: May be fatal if swallowed and enters airways
- H315 + H320: Causes skin and eye irritation
- H336: May cause drowsiness or dizziness
- H340: May cause genetic defects
- H350: May cause cancer
- H373: May cause organ damage through prolonged or repeated exposure
Precautionary statements sit alongside the hazard statements and cover prevention, response, storage, and disposal. Typical instructions include keeping the container tightly closed, storing it in a well-ventilated place away from heat and ignition sources, and rinsing the mouth if the liquid is swallowed without inducing vomiting.2Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Hazard Communication Standard: Labels and Pictograms
Pictograms
GHS pictograms are black symbols on a white background inside a red diamond border.3Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Hazard Communication Standard Pictogram Gasoline labels usually carry three.
The flame pictogram identifies the substance as a flammable liquid. Gasoline can ignite at temperatures well below zero degrees Fahrenheit, and its vapors can travel and ignite from a spark several feet from a spill.
The health hazard pictogram shows a human torso with a starburst across the chest and flags chronic or severe risks including cancer, organ damage, reproductive toxicity, and aspiration hazard. Gasoline contains benzene, a known carcinogen, so this symbol appears even though most people think of gasoline as a fire hazard first.
The exclamation mark pictogram covers the less severe but still significant hazards: skin and eye irritation and dizziness from vapor inhalation.
Portable Consumer Gas Cans: CPSC
Portable gasoline containers sold to consumers are regulated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission under the Federal Hazardous Substances Act (FHSA). Gasoline is a petroleum distillate, so any portable container holding it must display the signal word “danger,” the statement “harmful or fatal if swallowed,” and the instruction “call physician immediately.”4eCFR. 16 CFR 1500.14 – Products Requiring Special Labeling Under Section 3(b) of the Act Fuels in permanently installed household heating or cooling systems are exempt from the FHSA, but portable containers are not, even when the fuel inside will eventually be used for home heating.5eCFR. 16 CFR 1500.81 – Exemptions for Food, Drugs, Cosmetics, and Fuels
Customer-owned containers filled at a gas station don’t have to list a manufacturer’s name and address, but every other FHSA label element still applies.6eCFR. 16 CFR 1500.83 – Exemptions From Full Labeling
Beyond the warning text, the Children’s Gasoline Burn Prevention Act, as amended by the Portable Fuel Container Safety Act of 2020, requires child-resistant closures and flame mitigation devices on consumer gasoline containers. A flame mitigation device blocks a flame from traveling back through the spout, which can otherwise cause the container to ignite or explode. These rules are codified at 16 CFR Parts 1460 and 1461.7U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Portable Fuel Container Business Guidance
One boundary worth noting: the familiar color coding of red for gasoline, blue for kerosene, and yellow for diesel is built into voluntary ASTM and ANSI standards and is nearly universal in practice, but no single federal regulation mandates those specific colors.
Retail Fuel Pumps: FTC and EPA
Two separate labels have to appear on retail dispensers, and they come from different agencies with different purposes.
FTC Octane Rating
Under 16 CFR Part 306, every gasoline pump in the United States must display a yellow octane rating label on each dispensing face, positioned as close to the price display as practical. The label is 3 inches wide by 2.5 inches tall, uses Helvetica Bold type, and shows “Minimum Octane Rating” above a number calculated by the (R+M)/2 method.8eCFR. 16 CFR Part 306 – Automotive Fuel Ratings, Certification and Posting Retailers must keep the labels legible and replace unreadable ones promptly. A temporary substitute is allowed if a label is unexpectedly destroyed.
EPA Ethanol Blend Label
Pumps dispensing E15 (gasoline with up to 15 percent ethanol) must carry an orange-and-black label under 40 CFR 1090.1510. It states that E15 is safe for use in 2001 and newer passenger vehicles and flex-fuel vehicles and warns that using it in other vehicles, motorcycles, boats, or gasoline-powered equipment may cause damage and is prohibited by federal law.9eCFR. 40 CFR 1090.1510 – E15 Labeling Provisions The label must be positioned to clearly identify the nozzle or button used to select E15. If the dispenser dispenses E15 automatically, the label goes at roughly eye level on a vertical surface. The EPA has also historically required labels for oxygenated gasoline blends.10eCFR. 40 CFR 80.35 – Labeling of Retail Gasoline Pumps; Oxygenated Gasoline
Transport Placards: DOT
Once gasoline moves by truck, rail, or vessel, the DOT hazardous materials regulations apply. Gasoline is UN 1203, Class 3 flammable liquid. Any vehicle transporting 1,001 pounds or more in bulk must display diamond-shaped FLAMMABLE placards, at least 250 millimeters (about 10 inches) on each side, on all four sides of the vehicle.11eCFR. 49 CFR 172.504 – General Placarding Requirements Cargo tanks and portable tanks moving gasoline by highway may use a GASOLINE placard in place of the generic FLAMMABLE placard. Individual packages must carry DOT hazard labels at least 100 millimeters (about 4 inches) on each side, near the proper shipping name. Below the 1,001-pound threshold, placarding is not required for highway or rail transport, though individual packages still need their own hazard labels and markings.
Penalties for Non-Compliance
OSHA treats a missing or incorrect hazard label as a violation of the Hazard Communication Standard. A serious violation carries a maximum penalty of $16,550, and a willful or repeated violation can reach $165,514 per instance.12Occupational Safety and Health Administration. OSHA Penalties Hazard communication is consistently among OSHA’s most-cited standards.
The CPSC enforces labeling on consumer portable containers under the FHSA and related statutes. Under 15 U.S.C. 2069, a knowing violation of product safety requirements can carry a civil penalty of up to $100,000 per violation, capped at $15 million for any related series of violations.13Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 2069 – Civil Penalties Those figures are adjusted for inflation on a five-year cycle, so current amounts may be higher. Non-compliant containers can also be recalled.
The EPA and FTC enforce their pump-labeling rules independently. Retailers who fail to post octane labels or E15 warnings face enforcement actions from those agencies, typically directed at the business rather than individual employees.