INFORM YOU OF POTENTIAL HAZARDS, AND HELP GUIDE YOU

ON THE ROAD TO SAFETY WHERE YOU WORK.

GETTING ON THE "ROAD TO SAFETY" AT YOUR WORKPLACE IS LIKE

DRIVING TO A DESTINATION, TRAVELLING ON A LONG TRIP.

YOU RELY ON SIGNS AND SYMBOLS TO GUIDE AND DIRECT YOU.

YOU'RE WARNED ABOUT THE HAZARDS OF THE ROAD.

AND IF YOU'RE UNSURE OF WHERE TO GO, YOU'LL EITHER REACH FOR YOUR "MAP",

OR AT WORK, REACH FOR A MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEET, OR MSDS,

TO FIND OUT MORE INFORMATION OR PERHAPS ASK YOUR SUPERVISOR FOR "DIRECTIONS".

BUT NOT EVERYONE SEEMS TO BE ON THE "SAFE" ROAD.

YEAR AFTER YEAR THE HAZARD COMMUNICATION STANDARD,

OR HAZCOM, CONTINUES TO BE ONE OF OSHA'S MOST VIOLATED STANDARDS.

THE HAZCOM STANDARD, MANDATED BY THE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND

HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, OSHA, REQUIRES YOUR EMPLOYER

TO INFORM YOU OF THE POTENTIAL HAZARDS IN YOUR WORKPLACE.

THIS PROGRAM WILL COVER THE TRAINING REQUIREMENTS OF THE HAZCOM

STANDARD, EXPLAIN VARIOUS PHYSICAL AND HEALTH HAZARDS

AND TEACH YOU HOW TO USE WARNING LABELS AND MSDSS.

CHEMICALS SERVE A VARIETY OF PURPOSES AT HOME OR ON THE JOB.

HOWEVER, IF THEY ARE MISUSED THE CONSEQUENCES CAN BE PAINFUL, EVEN DEADLY.

IN YOUR WORKPLACE YOUR EMPLOYER WILL IDENTIFY AND COMPILE A LIST

OF POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS MATERIALS THAT EXIST.

REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THE MATERIAL IS IMPORTED OR PRODUCED AT

YOUR FACILITY, IF IT'S POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS, IT MUST BE

IDENTIFIED AS SUCH IN THE FORM OF WARNING LABELS AND MSDSS.

MATERIALS CAN POSE A RANGE OF HAZARDS, OFTEN THOUGHT OF

AS EITHER PHYSICAL HAZARDS OR HEALTH HAZARDS.

ALTHOUGH A CHEMICAL CAN BE BOTH.

VERY SIMPLY: PHYSICAL HAZARDS ACT OUTSIDE THE BODY

TO PRODUCE A DANGEROUS SITUATION.

FOR EXAMPLE, A FLAMMABLE OR EXPLOSIVE CHEMICAL POSES PHYSICAL HAZARDS.

HEALTH HAZARDS CAUSE DAMAGE SUCH AS STOMACH ACHES,

NAUSEA AND EVEN REPRODUCTIVE DAMAGE.

BUT HEALTH HAZARDS CAN BE EITHER ACUTE OR CHRONIC.

ACUTE HEALTH HAZARDS DO THEIR DAMAGE QUICKLY AS A RESULT OF

SHORT-TERM EXPOSURE, SUCH AS RESPIRATORY PROBLEMS

CAUSED FROM A CHEMICAL LEAK.

CHRONIC HEALTH HAZARDS OCCUR GRADUALLY OVER TIME. FOR EXAMPLE,

CARCINOGENS AND REPRODUCTIVE TOXINS ARE CHRONIC HEALTH HAZARDS.

KNOWING WHAT HAZARDS EXIST AND HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF IS PART OF

THE HAZCOM STANDARD'S TRAINING REQUIREMENTS.

YOUR EMPLOYER MUST INFORM YOU OF ANY OPERATIONS IN YOUR WORK AREA

WHERE HAZARDOUS MATERIALS ARE PRESENT AND EXPLAIN METHODS AND

OBSERVATIONS THAT MAY BE USED TO DETECT THE PRESENCE OR RELEASE

OF A HAZARDOUS CHEMICAL, SUCH AS MONITORING.

YOU'LL ALSO BE INFORMED OF WAYS TO PROTECT YOURSELF USING SAFE

WORK PRACTICES, PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT, OR PPE, AND EMERGENCY PROCEDURES.

LASTLY, YOU WILL BE INFORMED OF THE LOCATION AND AVAILABILITY OF

YOUR EMPLOYER'S WRITTEN HAZARD COMMUNICATION PROGRAM.

YOU'LL BE PROVIDED WITH THE DETAILS OF THIS PROGRAM

INCLUDING AN EXPLANATION OF THE LABELING SYSTEM,

MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEETS AND HOW TO USE

THIS HAZARD INFORMATION EFFECTIVELY.

YOUR TRAINING WILL BE UPDATED WHENEVER A NEW MATERIAL IS

INTRODUCED INTO THE WORKPLACE AND WHENEVER ANY HAZARD

REGARDING A MATERIAL CHANGES.

IT'S IMPORTANT THAT YOU ARE TRAINED, FOR YOUR SAFETY AND

YOUR CO-WORKERS' SAFETY.

OFTEN TIMES YOU WILL BE INTERVIEWED DURING AN AUDIT OR OSHA

INSPECTION TO DETERMINE IF YOUR EMPLOYER IS ADEQUATELY TRAINING YOU.

YOU MUST BE ABLE TO SHOW A BASIC UNDERSTANDING OF HOW THE

CHEMICALS YOU WORK WITH CAN HURT YOU.

ON THE ROAD, YOU WOULD NEVER DELIBERATELY ENTER THE WRONG WAY.

AND IN YOUR WORKPLACE, YOU WOULD NEVER INTENTIONALLY MISUSE A CHEMICAL.

THAT'S WHY YOU DEPEND ON LABELS TO WARN YOU ABOUT POTENTIAL HAZARDS.

BUT WHAT ABOUT WHEN LABELS PROVIDE VERY LITTLE INFORMATION OR

EVEN WORSE, WHEN LABELS AREN'T THERE?

IN THIS REAL-LIFE SITUATION, THESE WORKERS HAD NO WARNING AT ALL.

THEY WERE IN A WASTE STORAGE AREA OF THEIR PLANT EMPTYING A SMALL

CONTAINER OF WHAT THEY THOUGHT WAS SILVER CYANIDE INTO A LARGER

CONTAINER OF SILVER CYANIDE WASTE.

ONLY LATER DID THEY DISCOVER THE SMALLER CONTAINER HELD HYDROGEN

PEROXIDE, AN OXIDIZER.

AS THE CHEMICALS WERE MIXED, THE DRUM'S

INTERNAL PRESSURE ROSE RAPIDLY.

AND SUDDENLY, THE DRUM BURST.

THE WORKERS WERE HOSPITALIZED FOR CHEMICAL BURNS AND EXPOSURE

TO TOXIC FUMES AND SMOKE.

AS UNFORTUNATE AS THIS INCIDENT WAS, THESE WORKERS SHOULD HAVE

KNOWN NOT TO MIX ANY CHEMICALS THAT ARE NOT PROPERLY LABELLED.

THAT'S WHY YOUR EMPLOYER ENSURES THAT LABELS ARE ATTACHED TO

ALMOST EVERY HAZARDOUS MATERIAL IN YOUR WORKPLACE.

LABELS ON CONTAINERS OF POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS MATERIAL SHIPPED TO

YOUR WORKPLACE WILL BE LEGIBLE, PROMINENTLY DISPLAYED AND INCLUDE

THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION:

THE IDENTITY OF THE CHEMICAL OR CHEMICAL NAME.

THE APPROPRIATE HAZARD WARNINGS SUCH AS FLAMMABILITY AND

EXPLOSIVE PROPERTIES.

AND USUALLY, THE NAME AND ADDRESS OF THE CHEMICAL MANUFACTURER,

IMPORTER, OR OTHER RESPONSIBLE PARTY.

IF ANY OF THIS INFORMATION SHOULD CHANGE, YOUR EMPLOYER WILL MAKE

SURE THAT THE LABELS ARE UPDATED.

NEVER REMOVE A LABEL UNLESS YOU IMMEDIATELY REPLACE IT WITH ANOTHER ONE.

KEEP IN MIND THAT THERE ARE A FEW EXCEPTIONS WHERE LABELS

ARE NOT NECESSARY.

FOR EXAMPLE, PIPES DO NOT HAVE TO BE LABELED BECAUSE

THEY AREN'T CONSIDERED "CONTAINERS."

BUT JUST BECAUSE THEY AREN'T LABELED, DOESN'T MEAN

YOU CAN ASSUME THE CHEMICAL INSIDE IS SAFE.

PORTABLE CONTAINERS DO NOT HAVE TO BE LABELED IF

THE CHEMICAL WAS TRANSFERRED FROM A LABELED CONTAINER

AND IS IMMEDIATELY USED BY THE EMPLOYEE WHO TRANSFERRED IT.

THEREFORE, NEVER LEAVE AN UNMARKED CONTAINER OF A HAZARDOUS MATERIAL UNATTENDED.

LIKEWISE, IF YOU FIND AN UNLABELED CONTAINER OF A MATERIAL,

NEVER ASSUME IT'S HARMLESS JUST BECAUSE IT ISN'T LABELED.

ALSO, FOR INDIVIDUAL STATIONARY PROCESS CONTAINERS, OTHER

SIGNS, PLACARDS, PROCESS SHEETS, BATCH TICKETS, OPERATING PROCEDURES

OR OTHER WRITTEN FORMS MAY BE ATTACHED INSTEAD OF WARNING

LABELS, BUT ONLY UNDER TWO CONDITIONS:

1) THAT THE PLACARD OR OTHER WRITTEN METHOD USED IDENTIFIES WHICH

CONTAINERS THE WARNINGS REFER TO AND

2) THAT THE WRITTEN METHOD USED CONTAINS THE SAME INFORMATION

THAT WOULD BE ON A WARNING LABEL, SUCH AS

THE PHYSICAL AND HEALTH HAZARDS.

LASTLY, WARNING LABELS WON'T DO THEIR JOB UNLESS YOU DO YOURS.

PAY ATTENTION TO THEM.

JUST AS YOU WOULDN'T IGNORE A STOP SIGN.

DON'T IGNORE WARNING LABELS.

SOMETIMES WARNING SIGNS JUST AREN'T ENOUGH.

YOU NEED MORE DETAILED INFORMATION.

YOUR EMPLOYER WILL PROVIDE MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEETS, MSDSS,

FOR EVERY HAZARDOUS CHEMICAL YOU WORK WITH.

IN FACT, YOUR EMPLOYER WILL MAKE SURE THAT MSDSS ARE READILY

ACCESSIBLE DURING EACH WORK SHIFT.

YOU'LL FIND JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING YOU COULD POSSIBLY WANT TO KNOW

ABOUT THE SAFE HANDLING OF A MATERIAL IN AN MSDS.

BUT, TRYING TO USE MSDSS REGULARLY CAN OFTEN BE FRUSTRATING.

YOU CAN EASILY REMEMBER THE INFORMATION IN THE MSDS BY GROUPING

IT INTO FOUR MAIN CATEGORIES: PRODUCT INFORMATION, EXPOSURE SITUATIONS,

HAZARD PREVENTION AND PROTECTION AND OTHER SPECIFIC INFORMATION.

YOUR ORGANIZATION'S MSDS MAY NOT FOLLOW THIS SAME ORDER,

BUT THE PRINCIPLES FOR USING THE MSDS ARE THE SAME.

BASIC INFORMATION ABOUT THE MATERIAL SUCH AS

ITS NAME,

THE NAME, ADDRESS AND TELEPHONE NUMBER OF THE MANUFACTURER,

AND THE PREPARATION DATE OR DATE OF THE LAST REVISION

CAN BE FOUND IN THE BEGINNING OF AN MSDS.

KEEP IN MIND, THE CHEMICAL NAME WILL BE THE SAME AS THE ONE ON

THE LABEL ALTHOUGH OTHER NAMES MAY ALSO BE LISTED.

USUALLY, EMERGENCY TELEPHONE NUMBERS ARE LISTED AS WELL.

E INGREDIENTS OF THE MATERIAL AND THEIR HAZARDS WILL BE LISTED

AT THE BEGINNING OF AN MSDS, BUT IF THE INGREDIENTS ARE TRADE

SECRETS THEY WILL NOT BE LISTED, ONLY THEIR HAZARDS WILL BE LISTED.

SPECIFIC EXPOSURE LIMITS THAT HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED FOR YOUR

SAFETY ARE: PERMISSIBLE EXPOSURE LIMIT, OR PEL, THRESHOLD LIMIT

VALUE, OR TLV, AND SHORT-TERM EXPOSURE LIMIT, OR STEL.

THE PEL AND THE TLV ARE MAXIMUM CONCENTRATIONS OF THE SUBSTANCE

THAT YOU CAN SAFELY BE EXPOSED TO

WHEN AVERAGED OVER AN EIGHT-HOUR WORKDAY.

THE SHORT-TERM EXPOSURE LIMIT, OR STEL IS AN ACCEPTABLE

CONCENTRATION THAT YOU CAN SAFELY BE EXPOSED TO MEASURED

OVER A 15-MINUTE PERIOD.

POTENTIAL PHYSICAL AND HEALTH HAZARDS OF A MATERIAL

WILL BE FOUND IN THE BEGINNING OF AN MSDS.

FOR EXAMPLE, IF A MATERIAL IS FLAMMABLE, CORROSIVE OR TOXIC,

YOU'LL KNOW BY READING THE MSDS.

HOW THESE HAZARDS CAN ENTER YOUR BODY AND HOW THEY WILL AFFECT

YOUR HEALTH WILL BE WRITTEN HERE AS WELL.

FOR EXAMPLE, THE PRIMARY ROUTES OF ENTRY FOR THIS INDUSTRIAL

CLEANER ARE INHALATION AND SKIN AND EYE EXPOSURE.

IF EXPOSED TO THIS CHEMICAL, LONG-TERM HEALTH EFFECTS ARE NOT LIKELY.

BUT ACUTE HEALTH EFFECTS ARE, SUCH AS REDDENING AND IRRITATION.

IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENTAL EXPOSURE, FIRST AID AND FIRE

FIGHTING MEASURES ARE LISTED, AS WELL AS

HOW TO RESPOND TO A SPILL OR LEAK.

FOR EXAMPLE, IF THIS INDUSTRIAL CLEANER WERE SPILLED ON THE SKIN

OR IN THE EYES, THE FIRST AID SECTION SAYS TO "IMMEDIATELY BEGIN

DECONTAMINATION WITH RUNNING WATER."

FOR A FIRE INVOLVING THIS CHEMICAL, ALMOST ANY KIND OF FIRE

EXTINGUISHING AGENT CAN BE USED.

MSDSS PROVIDE EFFECTIVE FIRE FIGHTING MEASURES AND LIST ANY

UNUSUAL FIRE OR EXPLOSION HAZARDS.

SOME TYPICAL TERMS YOU'LL FIND IN THE FIRE FIGHTING SECTION

INCLUDE: FLAMMABLE LIMITS, FLASH POINT AND AUTOIGNITION.

THE FLAMMABLE LIMITS PROVIDE A RANGE OF VAPOR CONCENTRATIONS IN

AIR THAT WILL PRODUCE FIRE WHEN AN IGNITION SOURCE IS PRESENT.

USUALLY THERE WILL BE AN UPPER EXPLOSIVE LIMIT,

OR UEL, AND A LOWER EXPLOSIVE LIMIT, OR LEL.

ANY CONCENTRATION OF A SUBSTANCE IN AIR BETWEEN THESE FIGURES CAN

PRODUCE AN EXPLOSION WHEN AN IGNITION SOURCE IS PRESENT.

ANY SUBSTANCE WITH A CONCENTRATION ABOVE THE UEL OR BELOW

THE LEL IS LESS LIKELY TO IGNITE.

THE FLASH POINT IS THE LOWEST TEMPERATURE AT WHICH

A LIQUID GIVES OFF ENOUGH VAPOR TO FORM AN IGNITABLE MIXTURE WITH

AIR AND PRODUCE A FLAME WHEN A SOURCE OF IGNITION IS PRESENT.

AUTOIGNITION IS THE TEMPERATURE AT WHICH A MATERIAL WILL

SPONTANEOUSLY IGNITE OR BURN WITHOUT AN IGNITION SOURCE.

ACCIDENTAL RELEASE MEASURES FROM SPILLS OR LEAKS ARE LISTED AS WELL.

THE MSDS DESCRIBES HOW TO CLEAN UP THE HAZARDOUS

MATERIAL AND IS MAINLY DESIGNED FOR THOSE TRAINED

IN RESPONDING TO EMERGENCY SPILLS.

INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO SAFELY HANDLE AND STORE MATERIALS

CAN BE FOUND IN THE MSDS.■

FOLLOWING THESE INSTRUCTIONS WILL MINIMIZE YOUR DIRECT CONTACT

WITH THE MATERIAL, REDUCE FIRE HAZARDS OR OTHER REACTIONS, AND

PREVENT RELEASE OF THE MATERIAL.

CONDITIONS TO AVOID WHEN STORING CHEMICALS LIKE: EXCESSIVE HEAT,

DIRECT SUNLIGHT OR VIBRATION WILL BE COVERED AS WELL.

OTHER SAFE PRACTICES DESCRIBED INCLUDE: ENGINEERING CONTROLS

SUCH AS VENTILATION, AND PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT, OR PPE.

FOR EXAMPLE, WHILE HANDLING HYDROCHLORIC ACID DURING ROUTINE USE,

IT IS ADVISED TO WEAR SPLASH GOGGLES

OR SAFETY GLASSES AND RUBBER GLOVES.

YOU'LL ALSO FIND THE PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF A

MATERIAL SUCH AS ITS APPEARANCE, EVAPORATION RATE,

AND MELTING AND BOILING POINTS.

BY KNOWING THE PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES,

YOU'LL BE BETTER ABLE TO PROTECT YOURSELF.

OTHER IMPORTANT CHARACTERISTICS LISTED INCLUDE: WHETHER THE

MATERIAL IS STABLE OR UNSTABLE, CONDITIONS AND OTHER MATERIALS

THAT CAN CAUSE DANGEROUS REACTIONS WITH IT, AND

HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES THAT MAY BE RELEASED

WITH DECOMPOSITION OF THE MATERIAL.

OTHER SPECIFIC INFORMATION ABOUT A MATERIAL INCLUDING

TOXICOLOGICAL, ECOLOGICAL, DISPOSAL, TRANSPORTATION AND

REGULATORY INFORMATION IS PROVIDED.

THIS INFORMATION IS TYPICALLY NEEDED BY SPECIALISTS, SUCH AS

EMERGENCY RESPONDERS, PHYSICIANS OR TOXICOLOGISTS.

ALTHOUGH THE MSDS IS LENGTHY, IT'S FAIRLY EASY TO REMEMBER.

ESPECIALLY IF YOU THINK OF THE FOUR MAIN CATEGORIES:

PRODUCT INFORMATION, EXPOSURE SITUATIONS, HAZARD PREVENTION AND

PROTECTION, AND OTHER SPECIFIC INFORMATION.

AN MSDS IS LIKE A ROAD MAP.

IT SHOWS YOU AN OVERALL VIEW AND INCLUDES PRECISE MARKINGS

SO YOU CAN GET TO WHERE YOU'RE GOING EASILY AND SAFELY.

FOR EVERYONE'S SAFETY, LOOK AT THE MSDS FIRST,

BEFORE HANDLING A CHEMICAL.

UNDER THE HAZCOM STANDARD YOU HAVE THE "RIGHT TO KNOW" THE

HAZARDS AROUND YOU.

IF YOU'RE EVER UNSURE ABOUT A CHEMICAL, ASK YOUR SUPERVISOR.

IT'S SIMILAR TO BEING LOST.

YOU REFER TO A MAP OR ASK SOMEONE FOR DIRECTIONS.