A Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) is a document that contains information on the potential hazards (health, fire, reactivity and environmental) and how to work safely with the product.
It is an essential starting point for the development of a complete Health and Safety Program. It also contains information on the use, storage, handling and emergency procedures all related to the hazards of the material.
The regulations have been updated to provide clearer information to everyone who uses chemicals. These changes now make this the “Right-to-Understand” regulation. The safety information provided on product labels and safety data sheets (formerly material safety data sheets or MSDSs) is now standardized and all manufacturers are required to use the same hazard warnings and precautionary statements for the same chemical. This will allow for consistency in the information that the user has available to them.
MSDS for hazardous substances are required by legislation and in SHEQ Management System standards like OHSAS 18001 and ISO 14001, but not required for non-hazardous substances.
Note that the MSDS format follows a standardised sequence and numbering, and is worded as concisely as possible.
Text should align to a left margin, not centered on the middle of the page. Most MSDS formats obscure their logic and accessibility by typographical features and redundant features. Some add a set of ratings for health impacts level, flammability level, hazard level, and PPE level on top.
Underlining or light colour lines could be used sparsely, to highlight only the substance identity, labelling, and major hazards, instead of using graphic features that may compete with wording. Emergency responders may not have time to study a file full of fancy confetti coloured sheets.
There are 16 categories on a MSDS and must have revision date:
1. Product Name and Company Identification
2. Composition and information on ingredients
3. Hazard Identification
4. First Aid Measures
5. Fire Fighting Measures
6. Accidental Release Measures
7. Handling and Storage
8. Exposure Control and Personal Protection
9. Physical and Chemical Properties
10. Stability and Reactivity
11. Toxicological Information
12. Ecological Information
13. Disposal Considerations
14. Transportation Information
15. Regulatory Information
16. Other information
Always be familiar with the hazards of a product BEFORE you start using it. You should look at a MSDS, match the name of the chemical on your container to the one on the MSDS, know the hazards, understand safe handling and storage instructions, as well as understand what to do in an emergency.
In addition, no responsibility can be assumed by the vendor for any damage or injury resulting from abnormal use, from any failure to adhere to recommended practices, or from any hazards inherent in the nature of the product.
