I'm curious why SDS access at a university would need to be restricted from easy public access.

I understand that in industry, companies like BASF tend to limit SDS distribution to avoid giving competitors easy access to proprietary formulations.

 However, in an academic setting where safety is paramount, I’d expect SDSs to be readily accessible to students, faculty, emergency responders, and possibly even contractors.

Are there specific concerns driving these restrictions in university environments?

Looking forward to hearing your perspectives.

Warm regards,

David EldrEdge

Co-Owner

NALTIC Industrials, LLC

de**At_Symbol_Here**naltic.com

www.naltic.com

888.891.0077 Main

435.503.4972 Cell

435.767.7714 Google Voice & Text

435.654.2727 Fax

On Wed, Mar 19, 2025 at 9:25 AM Jeffrey Lewin <jclewin**At_Symbol_Here**mtu.edu> wrote:

• How do you control access to your SDS database? Can the public search your SDS database? We use chemmanagement.ehs.com (formally MSDSonline/VelocityEHS).  Anyone with Michigan Tech login credentials can access the SDS eBinder system.  That includes Faculty, Staff, Graduate Students, Undergraduate Students.  The general public does NOT have access.  There is an option for giving the Fire Department direct access, but we've not activated it.  Since our Public Safety and Police Service officers get dispatched to all fires and are university employees they can access the eBinder system. 
• How do you give access to SDS of chemicals in a particular room/lab to your contractors? While SDSs are organized by location in the eBinder, all SDSs are available to anyone logging into the system.  I'm not sure how you define "contractor" but anyone working in a university laboratory is given university login credentials.
• If you use QR codes for SDS in a lab, who has access to it? We post QR codes at the bottom of all laboratory Emergency Response Posters.  Anyone can access the QR code, but it goes to the university credential login screen.  Same for SDS links found on most university web pages as well as the direct link www.mtu.edu/sds

Note that access to update SDSs for a particular location in an eBinder are controlled under a different login.  For that login we can limit the locations seen by that individual.

Jeff

On Tue, Mar 18, 2025 at 1:59 PM Tricia Hahn <00002052ceec6afa-dmarc-request**At_Symbol_Here**lists.princeton.edu> wrote:

Hello!

We are updating our digital SDSs on our campus and would like to know how you handle access.

• How do you control access to your SDS database? Can the public search your SDS database?
• How do you give access to SDS of chemicals in a particular room/lab to your contractors?
• If you use QR codes for SDS in a lab, who has access to it?

Thanks for your help!

Tricia Hahn

Tricia Hahn | Chemical Hygiene Officer
Instructor of Chemistry | Chemistry Lab Manager

479.524.7253 | Bell Science Hall 104 | thahn**At_Symbol_Here**jbu.edu

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Jeff Lewin

Chemical Safety

Environmental Health and Safety

Office of the General Counsel

Michigan Technological University

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