Chemical MSDS

Your business is required by federal law to have a different chemical MSDS for every substance on your shelves. While the manufacturer should always include an MSDS with its shipment, the law states that you as the buyer and user must make available to all your workers the data needed to safely handle it. Even if your business only employs two or three workers, OSHA can still levy costly fines if you are not in compliance.

A chemical MSDS covers all the information about its substance's innate properties. The boiling point, freezing point, and flash point are all critical pieces of info, for if a compound changes states during shipment or storage it could cause a leak or an explosion. The flash point refers to the lowest temperature at which liquids form combustible mixtures in the air. If one of your workers is unfamiliar with this, the potential for disaster is tremendous.

Managing Your Chemical MSDS

Keeping accurate records of your MSDS is only one part of federal compliance. Your chemical MSDS must reflect any changes that manufacturers make in their products' specifications. For example, new research may reveal that a highly corrosive chemical may require better protective measures when shipped with a second corrosive chemical. It is your job to ensure that the MSDS for that particular material reflect the updated findings.

Because a given company may handle thousands of different substances, most businesses outsource their MSDS solutions. Companies whose job it is to stay atop this information and make it accessible to you and your employees can take a lot of the stress off your compliance effort. A good MSDS provider will ensure that your MSDS database meets OSHA standards by offering a money-back guarantee.