What are international standards and guidelines for preparing MSDSs?
When WHMIS came into effect in 1988, there were no national or international standards for MSDS formats. Since then several guidelines and standards have been prepared. One such standard is the American National Standard for Hazardous Industrial Chemicals – Material Safety Data Sheets – Preparation (ANSI Z400.1-2004). This standard specifies: • the general layout of MSDSs • 16 headings with standardized wording • the numbering and order of these headings • the information items required to complete an MSDS The objective of this standard is to “create consistency in providing information on safety, health and environmental matters for chemical products”. The 16-section MSDS headings in the standard are the same as those proposed for adoption by the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). The GHS addresses the classification of chemicals by types of hazard (health, fire, reactivity, environmental) and proposes harmonized hazard communication element
