Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace
December 28, 2020
Employees of all kinds work with or are exposed to many different types of hazardous chemicals in the workplace. There are over 750,000 different types of hazardous chemicals used in the workplace every year. If, as an employer, you have hazardous products/chemicals in the workplace, it is your responsibility to provide the proper Safety Data Sheets (SDS) and training for your employees for each hazardous chemical before they are exposed. The manufacturer of the hazardous chemical is responsible for providing the proper labeling on the bottle (if applicable) and the SDS for the chemical. The SDS provides in depth information about the specific hazardous material/chemical. These documents are not only a crucial piece in the prevention of workplace accidents related to the handling of chemicals, they are invaluable in times of a workplace emergency and are required by OSHA.
All chemicals should have labels on their container, which is a great form of hazard communication, but it may not be possible to provide all the information on a label. In this situation you would need to use an SDS in order to show the required information about the hazardous chemical. The SDS has a specific 16-section format that is required by OSHA. You need to have an SDS for each hazardous chemical. All SDS should include the following information:
Section 1: Chemical Product & Company Information
Section 2: Composition & Ingredients
Section 3: Hazard Identification
Section 4: First Aid
Section 5: Fire Fighting
Section 6: Accidental Release
Section 7: Handling and Storage
Section 8: Exposure Controls & Personal Protection
Section 9: Physical & Chemical Properties
Section 10: Stability & Reactivity
Section 11: Toxicological Information
Section 12: Ecological Information
Section 13: Disposal Considerations
Section 14: Transport Information
Section 15: Regulatory Information
Section 16: Additional Information
Safety Data Sheets (SDS) can be kept in different ways including electronically or, more commonly, in an SDS binder. More importantly, all employees must have access to the safety data sheets for all chemicals they are exposed to. If storing the SDS sheets electronically, employees must have access to the electronic device at all times so they can quickly access the SDS, have the ability to print a hard copy of the SDS and the employer must have a backup system or process in place for instances when your primary method may be inaccessible due to foreseeable or unforeseeable accidents. Remember, it is the employer’s responsibility to ensure that each employee who uses hazardous materials knows where the SDS is located and how to read and understand them.
No matter how you keep your Safety Data Sheets, OSHA requires you to have the manufacturer’s specific version of Safety Data Sheets that correspond with the actual hazardous chemicals. If your SDS library has an SDS for a chemical that is produced by a different manufacturer than the chemical you have currently, this is not compliant to the OSHA regulations. So be sure when you receive a new or different hazardous chemical that the SDS is updated in your library however they are kept. All SDS must be retained for at least 30 years.
Along with ensuring you have the proper safety data sheet library for hazardous chemicals, the employer must train all employees on the safety data sheets and hazardous chemicals they may use. Below are some of the training points to ensure your employees are knowledgeable, kept safe and know what to do in an emergency involving hazardous chemicals.
Employees must know:
Where SDS are kept and, if electronically, they need to know how to use the primary and backup system
Major points for each chemical
To check SDS for more information
How to locate emergency information
What to do in the event of exposure or accidental release
How to follow SDS safety precautions
If you need assistance with setting up a Safety Data Sheet management program, please click here or contact our Loss Control Department. Lastly, for additional information regarding hazardous chemicals in the workplace, please visit the AlaCOMP Online Safety Library.