| The Home page of ILPI's Safety Data Sheet (SDS) Resource, the leader in SDS information since 1995! | |
| The history and philosophy behind this resource. | |
| A curated collection of books and reference materials concerning Safety Data Sheets and closely related topics. | |
| Paste your plain text SDS into the SDS-Demystifier, and it will be converted into a hypertext-enriched document with links to detailed explanations of each key term. | |
| An extensive list of frequently asked questions about Safety Data Sheets including regulations, content, compliance, and more. | |
| A humorous take on Safety Data Sheet jargon. Fill in the blanks on our entry form to generate a personalized Unsafety Data Sheet to share with your coworkers. | |
| Since 1995, we've maintained this massive curated list of the best places to find Safety Data Sheets on the Internet. | |
| Way more than a glossary, this hypertext-enhanced resource covers hundreds of SDS-related terms and expert knowledge. Each entry includes both the SDS relevance and links to additional authoritative resources. | |
| Archived results of Safety Data Sheet related polls taken by some of our millions of site visitors | |
| You are here! The OSHA regulations behind SDS regulations, including the inspection guidelines and over 400 official interpretations letters under the Hazard Communication Standard | |
| Commercial suppliers of SDS authoring and management software as well as cloud compliance services. | |
| Commercial companies that will create SDS's for your specific needs as well as SDS translation companies. |
Interactive Learning Paradigms, Incorporated
Safety signs, banners, and scoreboards? Get yours at Safety Emporium!
| Title: 01/25/1995 - The purpose of Material Safety Data Sheets. | |
| Record Type: Interpretation | Standard Number: 1910.1200 |
January 25, 1995
The Honorable James A. Barcia
House of Representatives
Suite 502 301 East
Genesee Saginaw, Michigan 48607
Dear Congressman Barcia:
Thank you for your letter of October 13, concerning an inquiry from your constituent, Mr. Jerome Bouverette, related to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) Hazard Communication Standard (HCS). Mr. Bouverette requested clarification of the purpose of Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs), which are required to be developed and distributed under the HCS.
|
MSDSs are specified by section 1910.1200(g) of the HCS (enclosed). The MSDS lists the hazardous ingredients of a product, its physical and chemical characteristics (e.g. flammability, explosive properties), its effect on human health, the chemicals with which it can adversely react, handling precautions, the types of measures that can be used to control exposure, emergency and first aid procedures, and methods to contain a spill. When new regulatory information, such as exposure limits, or new health effects information becomes available, the MSDS must be updated to reflect it. Employers and employees need the information contained on MSDSs to protect themselves from hazardous chemical exposures and to work safely with chemical products. The result will be a reduction in chemical source illness and injuries in the workplace. Since the HCS became effective, the use and distribution of MSDSs have proven to be an effective and efficient way to ensure that employers and employees can obtain necessary information on the hazards associated with exposure to chemicals in the workplace. | (sponsored information) 400,000 MSDS's in your shirt pocket... |
It should also be noted that MSDSs are only required for hazardous chemicals. In reality, MSDSs are prepared and provided for many products that are not covered by the HCS. It is our understanding that this is being done for product liability purposes, not for compliance with any Federal regulation. In fact, MSDSs were prepared and made available by many producers prior to implementation of regulatory requirements. In addition, many customers request MSDSs on all products, whether they are hazardous or not. This practice has also encouraged producers to provide MSDSs for non-hazardous products. While OSHA does not require or encourage this practice, we certainly do not have the authority to prohibit producers from distributing such MSDSs.
We hope this information is helpful to you. Please contact OSHA's Office of Health Compliance Assistance at (202) 219-8036 if you have any additional questions.
Sincerely,
Joseph A. Dear Assistant Secretary
The original official public domain version of this document is available from OSHA at XXXOSHAURL.