Chemical importers and manufacturers are required to obtain or develop material safety data sheets for every hazardous chemical they import/produce. Employers must guarantee they have an MSDS for each hazardous chemical that is used in their company. The purpose of an OSHA MSDS is to provide precise information on the hazardous chemical in question, including its physical and toxicological properties, possible hazardous effects and appropriate protective measures. MSDS sheets must be available to all persons who may come into contact with the hazardous chemical.
OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) specifies certain information that must be included on MSDSs. This includes: manufacturer's name and contact information, hazardous ingredients or identity information, physical and chemical characteristics, fire and explosion hazard data, reactivity data, health hazards information, precautions for safe handling and use, and control measures.
Although OSHA has requirements in terms of the information that must be present on a material safety data sheet, it does not specify a particular format that must be used.
In 1985, OSHA established a format for MSDSs (known as OSHA Form 174) that gives a general guideline as to the format of the MSDS in regards to the information that must be present. This is divided into eight sections in accordance with the eight sets of information that must be included on the MSDS from the previous paragraph.Recently, in order to endorse consistent presentation of information, OSHA recommends that companies begin to follow the 16-section format MSDS established by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
Following this format, the information that is of greatest interest to workers (such as chemical composition and first aid measures) is listed near the beginning of the MSDS, giving a more organized and comprehensive structure. Not all of the information required in the 16-section format is in OSHA regulations, but OSHA has accepted this layout as the standard for improving the effectiveness of MSDSs and no longer endorses Form 174, although it is still acceptable under the HCS. The 16 sections to be used are:- Identification
- Hazard(s) identification
- Composition/information on ingredients
- First-aid measures
- Fire-fighting measures
- Accidental release measures
- Handling and storage
- Exposure controls/personal protection
- Physical and chemical properties
- Stability and reactivity
- Toxicological information
- Ecological information
- Disposal considerations
- Transport information
- Regulatory information
- Other information