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MSDS Review Requirements

Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) are documents that inform the user of chemicals' properties and potential hazards. MSDS are required in a workplace by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Shorter versions are printed on the bottles of consumer chemical products.

  1. Hazard Communication Requirements

    • OSHA's "Hazard Communication" law is a right-to-know act. Every worker has the right to know what materials they work with and their potential health and safety risks. MSDS are mandated so every worker can easily determine what materials he is handling and working around. Workers can then wear proper safety clothing and use the necessary safety equipment, such as eye protection and breathing respirators. Emergency exposure procedures and contact numbers must be included on all MSDS.

    Responsibility to Update MSDS

    • MSDS must be update when a new material or formulation is used. Chemical manufacturers must produce and provide a new materials sheet when they develop chemicals or change existing ones. A workplace also needs to obtain and file an updated or new data sheet when it changes distributors or brands of chemical materials.

    Reviewing MSDS in Company Files

    • Companies periodically review all MSDS in their workplaces to be sure they are in compliance with OSHA's regulations on Hazardous Materials. The master copies, kept in the company or corporate office, should be reviewed to be sure all required informational sheets accompany new chemicals or formulations. Obsolete material information sheets should be replaced with updated ones, so supervisors and safety personnel can easily find the newest MSDS. In reviewing the fact sheets, a company may find it necessary to update or revise a written safety procedure or require different types of personal protective equipment.

    Departmental MSDS Reviews

    • It is mandated that MSDS are available in every area of a company in which chemicals are used. This requires that routine reviews are performed in every department and area where chemicals are used. Files containing these informational sheets must be checked and purged in a similar fashion as the ones in the corporate office.

    Obtaining Missing MSDS

    • When reviewing the company's MSDS files, it may be discovered that a fact sheet for a certain product was never obtained or filed. In addition, some materials may not have come with a current fact sheet. Companies are required to obtain missing sheets or information. This can be done by calling the manufacturer or distributor to request that a sheet be faxed, or by downloading a sheet from a producer's website.

    Electronic MSDS

    • A company can store MSDS electronically and provide the electronic system, such as a company-networked computer. However, every area that has chemicals must have either a physical copy of each MSDS in an easily accessible file or an electronic system in an accessible area.

    MSDS Training

    • Workers are entitled to training on every chemical they use or are around. Not only should workers be informed of changes in MSDS as they occur, a routine meeting focusing on these informational sheets should also be held. Every worker should be informed of MSDS changes.

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