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MSDS Safety Exercises

Federal law requires manufactures, warehouses and other facilities to obtain and keep on file an MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) for any chemical contained or used in their facility. The MSDS contains information on the toxicity of the product, safety measures to take if exposed or ingested and what safety equipment must be on hand to deal with an exposure situation.

  1. Annual Inventory

    • Possibly the most critical part of any MSDS program is making certain all MSDSs are on hand and accounted for. In order to accomplish this, an annual inventory should be conducted to list all chemicals or hazardous substances within the facility. This list is then compared to the MSDS file. If there are any omissions, new MSDSs must be requested from the vendor and placed into the file. Some facilities conduct a semiannual inventory. The frequency of the inventory depends on the number of chemicals contained in the facility and the frequency at which new chemicals or materials are added.

    MSDS Location

    • Employees should be quizzed concerning the contents of an MSDS and, more importantly, the location of the MSDS should they be needed. These files are to be accessible to all employees for their review. In most instances, they are kept in a binder or other holder that is in a secure place. This must be done to prevent anyone from removing an MSDS to review or for other purposes and not returning it. If the MSDS is required, it must be in the assigned location; there is no time to determine who might have it and where it could be.

    Check the Filing

    • While not required, many facilities will maintain MSDS data by chemical name and by manufacturer. These files should be checked periodically to be certain all the materials are filed in the appropriate order. A misfiled sheet is of no use in an emergency situation. This becomes more critical if the facility adds new MSDS materials on a regular basis. The more the file is amended and modified, the greater the risk of a filing error to take place. If files are kept in multiple locations, each file must be checked not only for content but for filing accuracy.

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