Overview
Employees are not aware of how to access SDSs for hazardous chemicals that are stored or used in the area.
- SDSs should be available for all hazardous chemicals (relationship to inventory)
- If hard copies are not available in the lab, then ask lab workers how they access SDSs.
There is no university-wide centralized system for SDS access and retrieval. Individual work sites establish their own systems that work best for their situation. The bottom line is that workers need to have access to SDSs for hazardous chemicals used in their work area. Some labs will keep hard copies in or near the laboratory. Some will use computers to access electronic copies from suppliers. Some will keep electronic copies in a file on a computer. Because of the varying methods of SDS retrieval, this checklist item requires verification by means of an interview with laboratory personnel. A question such as, “How do you access Safety Data Sheets (SDS) for hazardous chemicals used in the laboratory?”
When the method used in the laboratory involves hard copies, you should do a spot check of the inventory against the available SDSs. If there are chemicals on the inventory, but a SDS is not available, then cite this checklist item.
If the method used in the laboratory is electronic, you should inquire as to the location of the computer where the information is available, verify that this computer is always accessible when people are working in the laboratory and that workers are aware of the location/log-in credentials, etc. The objective is to verify that the information is readily available to the workers.
With the implementation of the Global Harmonized System for Chemical Classification and Labeling, the format of Safety Data Sheets has been standardized. Provided is a SDS for chloroform and is an example of the new format. Old format MSDS’s are not valid and were phased out after May 2015. Vendors have made new style SDSs available, and the laboratory should not be using the old style. A recommendation should be made to obtain and utilize the new style SDSs if the laboratory is using electronic files or hard copies. Obviously no recommendation needs to be made if they are relying on on-line access from the supplier's website. This is not a citation of deficiency.