03/24/2015

Safety Data Sheet Update

by Barb Garrison

As you know, chemical manufacturers have been revising their Safety Data Sheets (SDSs) to comply with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s revised Hazard Communication Standard. If you have not received new SDSs from your chemical suppliers, it is YOUR responsibility to contact them and get the new SDS.

Employers must maintain copies of SDSs in their workplaces, and must ensure that SDSs are readily accessible to workers when they are in their work areas during their work shifts. This accessibility may be accomplished in many different ways. Some employers keep paper copies of SDSs in a binder in a central location, while others provide access electronically. Keeping PDF copies of SDSs on a computer, CD, or thumb drive saves a significant amount of paper and ink!

However, if access to SDSs is provided electronically, there must be an adequate back-up system in place in the event of a power outage, equipment failure, or other emergency involving the primary electronic system. As long as workers can get the information when they need it, any approach may be used.

When workers must travel between workplaces during a work shift, SDSs may be kept at the primary workplace facility. No matter what system is used, employers must ensure that workers and medical personnel can immediately obtain the required information in an emergency.

If you have questions about SDSs or the revised Hazard Communication Standard, please contact Barb Garrison at barb_garrison@sbcglobal.net or 614-404-3384.