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Your next best source of safety information after the label is the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS). An MSDS is a chemical bulletin put out by chemical manufacturers detailing the physical (explosive/reactive) and health (irritation/lung damage/cancer causing) hazards. NSCC is required to have an MSDS for every hazardous chemical or chemical product on campus. Even if the product is considered ‘non-toxic’, the MSDS provides a lot of useful information about the product. For this reason, NSCC requires that one requests an MSDS when ordering any new chemical products. MSDSs are created by the manufacturer and transferred to the supplier and then onto the employer. It is the responsibility of the employer to disseminate this information to the employees.
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A master file of MSDSs for all the chemical products on campus is kept in the hallway behind AS1519. However, each Division also has their own file of MSDSs for the chemicals they use. Every employee must have access to all appropriate MsDSs (of all the hazardous chemicals they work with) during their work shift.
The important thing to remember is to review an MSDS before working with a chemical product, especially chemicals newly introduced into your work area.
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Like labels, the quality of MSDSs are not all equal. OSHA specifies the categories that must be included in an MSDS but leaves it up to the manufacturer how this information is to be portrayed. MSDSs can be difficult to read because of toxicology and chemical terms used. For this reason, we developed a Standard Operating Procedures (located in the CHP notebook) detailing the most important information contained in the MSDS. There is a very useful glossary of MSDS terms located in the back of one of the handouts you received entitled “Hazard Communication - Working Safely with Hazardous Chemicals”. Please use it as a guide.
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