What is a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)?
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 chemical 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 MSDS contains much more information about the material than the label. MSDSs are prepared by the supplier or manufacturer of the material. It is intended to tell what the hazards of the product are, how to use the product safely, what to expect if the recommendations are not followed, what to do if accidents occur, how to recognize symptoms of overexposure, and what to do if such incidents occur. Do I need an MSDS? In Canada, every material that is controlled by WHMIS (Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System) must have an accompanying MSDS that is specific to ea
A Material Safety Data Sheet is a document that contains information on the chemical make-up, use, storage, handling, emergency procedures and potential health effects related to a hazardous material. The MSDS contains much more information about the material than the label on the container. MSDSs are prepared and written by the manufacturer of the material. What is the purpose of an MSDS? The purpose of an MSDS is to inform you of: • The materials chemical make-up. • The materials physical properties or fast acting health effects that makes it dangerous to handle. • The level of protective gear you need to wear to work safely with the material. • The first aid treatment to be provided when someone is exposed to the material. • The preplanning needed for safely handling spills, fires, and day-to-day operations. • How to respond to accidents. What information is on the MSDS? There are 9 categories of information that must be present on an MSDS. These are: • Chemical Identity • Health Ha
According to 29 CFR part 1910.1200, an MSDS is a document obtained or developed for each hazardous chemical produced, imported or used by chemical manufacturers or importers. If the hazardous chemical is a mixture, the mixture may be tested as a whole to determine its hazards and the ingredients contributing to the known hazard must be identified. If the hazardous chemical mixture has not been tested as a whole, all ingredients which have been determined to be health hazards and comprise 1% or greater of the composition must be identified, except for ingredients identified as carcinogens which shall be listed if they comprise greater than 0.1% of the mixture. On June 3, 1993 the American National Standards Institute Board of Standard Review approved a draft standard developed by the Chemical Manufacturers Association for MSDSs. The voluntary standard, ANSI Z400.1, set out a 16-section format with the approval of OSHA. The ANSI format has been adopted by the international Globally Harmo
A Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) is designed to provide both workers and emergency personnel with the proper procedures for handling or working with a particular substance. MSDS’s include information such as physical data (melting point, boiling point, flash point etc.), toxicity, health effects, first aid, reactivity, storage, disposal, protective equipment, and spill/leak procedures. These are of particular use if a spill or other accident occurs.
An MSDS, also referred to as a Safety Data Sheet (SDS), is a document that describes the chemical and physical properties of a material and provides advice on its safe storage, handling and use. It includes details of health and physicochemical hazards, exposure controls, personal protective equipment, safe handling and storage instructions, emergency procedures and disposal advice. Within the workplace, an MSDS is a well recognised and important source of information. An MSDS is an information source that may be used to inform a program to control hazards associated with working with hazardous substances and dangerous goods. The label is also an important source of this information. An MSDS can, and often is, prepared for non-hazardous materials, even though an MSDS is not strictly necessary to comply with workplace OHS regulations in this situation.
