Army - The Soldiers' Newspaper

Get the message: Special signs draw attention to hazards.
Photo courtesy of Hazsigns.

AN MSDS is a Material Safety Data Sheet. So how is it relevant to us?

Well, most of us during our work day are surrounded by chemicals of different kinds. We use them for degreasing, lubricating, cleaning – you name it.

Generally they can be classified as hazardous substances, poisons, dangerous goods. Using these products carries a risk if they are not used, handled or stored correctly.

Given the rate of new chemicals coming on to the market every day, its makes sense to know something about them. To help in identifying the hazards, Material Safety Data Sheets and special signage are used.
MSDSs are documents (usually single sided A4 sheets) produced by the manufacturer or supplier. They tell you what is in the product, any health effects, appropriate first aid, precautions you must take in handling the product and other really useful stuff like PPE and storage information.

Every chemical you use or store at your unit needs its own MSDS.

They are not only important in identifying if a product is a hazardous substance; they also assist you in carrying out a risk assessment. Copies need to be kept in a registry which is continually updated.

The register should be easily accessible by those people who use the product. These include medics as first aid for some chemicals is quite specific. If you do not have the relevant MSDS the label on the product container will provide suitable contacts for obtaining it.

Chem Alert 2 has a web site – http://www.chemalert.com.au/index.html/ – from which these can be obtained.

MSDSs really come into their own during a medical emergency. Where the label had been eroded, erased or obliterated and you are not sure how to handle the product, decant it or safely dispose of it.

If you are working with any hazardous substance these should be clearly identified as such. The approved labels are standard across Australia and make it possible to quickly identify a container as a possible hazard. They are diamond shaped and have a distinctive colour according to the substance. There are some examples on this page of the nine types currently in use.

Often you will need further information about the product and this is where an MSDS comes in handy.