Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)
Material Safety Data sheets (MSDS) provide detailed and technical information of a controlled product. All workers need to know where the MSDS are located and must have access to them at any time they are working with or near a controlled product. Persons not working directly with a controlled product, but working near someone who is, should know what the product is and how to recognize, prevent, and/or deal with any potential accidents or emergencies.
Click here to look up MSDS electronically.
According to OSHA requirements:
- There are nine categories of information which must appear on the MSDS
- MSDSs must be readily available to the worker at the workplace
- MSDSs must be read prior to working with the controlled product
- MSDSs are to be updated at least every three years and as soon as further information related to the controlled product becomes available
- An MSDS is not required to be in hard copy format. There are several web versions or CD versions available. However if the web-based information is going to be the sole method by which the MSDS information is provided then the computer by which the MSDSs are accessed must be readily available to workers (i.e. the same requirement as for hard copy versions.) Although a hard copy of the MSDS is not required, workers must be able to generate a hard copy if they so desire.
Click here to look up MSDS electronically.
29 CFR 1910.1200 (6)(e) states that employers must make the MSDS available to employees in their workplace. (e) states:
Where employees must travel between workplaces during a workshift, i.e., their work is carried out at more than one geographical location, the written hazard communication program may be kept at the primary workplace facility.
This is understood to mean that the University is not required to post the MSDS everywhere the chemicals are used, only areas of storage and distribution. If the employees have a centralized clock-in area, the MSDS should be available there and any other location where chemicals are stored, excluding individual maintenance closets on the building floors.
For questions related to MSDS, please contact your supervisor or the Director of Environmental Management.