Another means of identifying potential hazards associated with hazardous substances are material safety data sheets.

Under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 1985 s21(2)(e) employers must provide employees with such information as is necessary to enable employees to perform their work in a manner that is safe and without risks to health.

National Code of Practice for the Control of Workplace Substances [NOHSC:2007(1994)]

Employers must obtain MSDS’s for the hazardous substances when or before it is first used. There must be MSDS’S for all hazardous substances at the workplace. MSDS’s are to be available to all employees using hazardous substances. Must comply with the Code of Practice for the Preparation of Material Safety Data Sheets.

MSDS’s provide information on how to:

• use hazardous substances correctly and safely;
• understand safety guidelines and the reasons for their existence;
• outline the results of failure to comply with these guidelines.

MSDS’s provide information about substances, and the hazards associated with those substances.

Substances can be:

• mixtures (a combination of substances);
• natural or artificial;
• in liquid or solid form;
• a gas, vapour, fume, mist; and
• dusts used in the workplace.

Material Safety Data Sheets describe:

• properties and uses of a substance;
• health hazard information;
• precautions for use;
• safe handling requirements.

Employers should get the MSDS from product suppliers. The MSDS should be available before work with a substance begins. This means that the information provided on the substance enables it to be used, handled and stored in a healthy and safe way, and that the requirements for protecting the health and safety of those exposed to the substance can be met.

The workplace should have a collection of MSDS’s for the substances that you use. The supervisor, or health and safety representative (if one is in place) should be able to tell you where the MSDS’s are kept.

Manufacturers and importers are responsible for the preparation of the MSDS to other organisations such as intermediate manufacturers and some users.

• changes in formulation which alter the hazardous properties, appearance or mode of application of the substance;
• changes to the substance which alters health and/or safety hazard or risk;
• whenever updated health and/or safety information is released;
• whenever new regulations or standards are released;
• if more than 5 years has elapsed since the last update release.

1. Request the Material Safety Data Sheet

Anyone can request a MSDS for any substance they are working with, or could be working with. The manufacturer, or sometimes the distributor, will supply a MSDS on request. If a new product or material is to be introduced to the workplace sufficient time must be allowed before its introduction to obtain MSDS’s of several products that could do the job. This allows comparison to ensure that the safest and most effective product is to be used.

2. How do I know if this is a good MSDS?

The terms and language on a MSDS is very technical and may be difficult to understand. But, an easy way of checking to see whether this MSDS is a good one is to see if it follows the WORKSAFE Australia guidelines. WORKSAFE Australia have developed a standard format for the layout for MSDS’s, and in Victoria industry should use this format for their MSDS’s.

3. Brief Check

Check to see that your MSDS has 4 main headings in this order:

1. Identification
2. Health Hazard Information
3. Precautions for Use
4. Safe Handling Information

Now check to see if the information under these four main headings is there.

Note: Although a MSDS may not follow the format, the information may still be there, but scattered through the sheet and organised in a different way. This is especially true of imported materials, even where the overseas requirements are stringent.

4. Identification

The identification section tells you:

• who makes the product;
• the product name;
• what the product can be used for;
• the properties of the product (ie solid, liquid, smell, fire hazard);
• the ingredients of the product. The exact proportion or part of the chemicals making up the product does not have to be shown, and can be expressed as an approximate percentage.

ie high >60%

medium/high 30-60%

medium 10-30%

low <10%

This will at least tell you approximately how much of the hazardous ingredient(s) that will be in the product. Only the hazardous materials are required to be listed, the non-hazardous ingredients can be left off or listed as other impurities. Ingredients may also be listed as a percentage.

ie Rustop Metal Primer

Liquid hydrocarbons 35%

Alkyd Resin 23%

Zinc Chromate 11%

Pigments and extenders 30%

Dryers and additives 1%

Ingredients may be listed as an approximate proportion.

ie Polyurethane Coating

Xylene low

Methyl isobutyl Ketone medium

Propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate low

Hexamethylene diisocyanate very low

Important - The ingredients should be listed, as either a percentage or as a proportion. Generic names (eg chlorinated alkyl carbon for trichloroethylene) can be used under the WORKSAFE Standard, but will not tell you exactly what the hazardous material is.

5. Health Hazard Information

This is a very important section and should tell you about

• possible short term health effects
• possible long term health effects
• route of exposure
• dose, concentration and conditions of exposure likely to lead to injury
• first aid procedures
• what type of first aid equipment to have on hand
• medical advice for the doctor in case of emergency

6. Precautions for Use

This section will describe the safe work practices you will need to follow if using this product.

TLV’s or Threshold Limit Values are the airborne concentrations of hazardous materials that workers can be exposed to over an 8 hour day for a five day working week over an entire working life.

This section tells you how to apply the material (ie spray or roller) and how you should work with the material (ie is there a need for ventilation?).

Tells you about how to protect yourself from coming in contact with the material. Should specify type of personal protection (ie respirator or glove type) required.

How to prevent fire and explosion hazards when using the product.

7. Safe Handling Information

This section should tell you:

• how to safely store the product;
• the dangerous goods legislation requirements;
• the need for first aid facilities (ie safety showers and eye wash stations);
• how to cope with spills;
• where and how to dispose of the product;
• fire/explosion hazards - including fire fighting equipment and procedures;
• other information could be the environmental effects of the product, specific tests on animals or bacteria, or features of the product;
• the contact point and phone number is usually someone who can provide additional information, or clarify information, about the product;
• date of issue tells you how recent the material safety data sheet is.

Request several material safety data sheets of products that could be suitable for the job well in advance.

Check to see that the material safety data sheets conform to the WORKSAFE Australia standard. If they don’t, it may be worthwhile to contact the manufacturer by phone to see if you can obtain more information, or obtain other MSDS’s from other manufacturers for similar products.

Identify the hazards associated with each of the products. Look for:

• carcinogenic materials;
• materials causing illness such as dermatitis, asthma, intoxication;
• special precautions associated with the products’ use.

Remember: Now is the time to see if you will have hazards, and think about how you will deal with them, NOT after the material has arrived and is in use.

Select the least hazardous material that would be suitable for the job.

Submit your recommendation to the health and safety representative and occupational health and safety committee for their approval. They may recognise hazards associated with the product that you did not realise.

If the product is approved for use, make sure that you have:

• the engineering controls in place (such as ventilation measures);
• the necessary first aid equipment;
• the necessary personal protective equipment;
• storage facilities;
• procedures for dealing with fire, explosion and spills.

Determine the training that your workers will need to use the material safely.

Order in the new material, as well as the necessary engineering controls, first aid equipment, personal protective equipment, fire fighting equipment, hazchem labelling.

Train the workers in safe use of the material

Monitor the use of the material to:

• see if it is being used properly;
• check workers to see if they are developing health problems associated with the material.

A description of the substance. Can include colour, odour and form.

The minimum temperature required to initiate or cause self-sustained combustion.

The boiling point or melting point of the substance in degrees Celsius at 760mmHg air pressure.

The weight of a unit volume of powder (g/cm³).

This is a Chemical Abstracts Service database (register). Over five million chemicals are listed. All chemical ingredients in a product should have a CAS number.

Often mixtures of chemicals make up the products we use. A MSDS should list every ingredient present in a mixture by its chemical or technical name.

A chemical or substance which damages materials or living tissue on contact is corrosive - this is a measure of how quickly it destroys them.

Chemicals are divided up into dangerous goods classes according to their properties.

The ratio of mass to volume (g/cm³ at 20^oC). In other words, how heavy for a given volume.

Some chemicals or mixtures will evaporate at room temperature producing vapours. These vapours may be explosive, flammable or respiratory hazards.

The lowest temperature at which a mixture of air and the vapour of the substance continues to burn in an open container when ignited.

Substances which form flammable mixtures with air or oxygen do so between a lower flammable limit (below which combustion does not occur) and upper flammable limit (above which the mixture is too rich to burn).

Typical limits are:

The minimum temperature of the liquid at which it gives off sufficient vapour to form an ignitable mixture with air.

Substances are hazardous if, with use in the workplace, they are:

Listed Substances Dangerous Goods

Scheduled Poison

Listed Carcinogen

Has exposure standards or biological indices

Otherwise specified

Classified Substances Acute lethal effects

Non-lethal irreversible exposure

Irritant

Sensitiser

Carcinogen, Mutagenic or Teratogenic.

This is an emergency response code for dealing with a fire, explosion or spill of a hazardous material.

eg 3WE Use foam, wear full protective equipment, expect a violent reaction, consider evacuation.

Where if the chemical substances are mixed with certain others, a hazard results.

The smallest amount of the substance in the air that humans can smell.

These substances can liberate oxygen or cause an oxidation process which may start a fire in other materials.

A measure of acidity or alkalinity of water based substances. pH below 7 are acids, pH above 7 are alkaline.

This is a number, as outlined by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Standard for the Uniform Scheduling of Drugs and Poisons (SUSDP).

Many products are made up of a number of ingredients - the exact composition may be shown, but under WORKSAFE guidelines, in a MSDS, the ingredients can be listed as a proportion

High >60%

Medium - High 30 - 60%

Medium 10 - 30%

Low <10%

This will at least tell you approximately how much of the hazardous ingredient(s) that will be in the product. Only the hazardous materials are required to be listed, the non-hazardous ingredients can be left off or listed as other impurities.

The way that the substance reacts with common substances such as air and water.

The specific gravity of the substance compared to the specific gravity of water (equal to 1).

Some substances can explode if they are dropped or handled roughly.

Tells you how soluble the substance is in water in grams per 100mL (g/100mL). Temperature ⁰C at which the solubility was measured may also be give.

Tells you how soluble the substance is in organic solvents.

The ability of a substance to auto-ignite with not external source of energy.

An example is the slow drying of linseed oil, an ingredient of varnishes and oil based paints. When linseed oil oxidises in air (dries), it generates heat. The oxidised components act as an insulator to prevent the escape of heat generated by further oxidation. This leads to spontaneous combustion as the temperature rises to auto-ignition point.

A chemical; substance or product may have a primary risk (ie flammable liquid), but may also have a subsidiary risk (ie corrosive).

Other names by which the product may be known.

This is the United Nations Number given to the chemical or product. It helps identify the chemical and product for emergency services.

A list of major recommended uses that the chemical or product could be used for - ie "a selective herbicide for lawns".

The vapour pressure of a liquid is the pressure of the vapour above the liquid at the point where the condensation of the vapour begins. The higher the vapour pressure, the greater the amount of vapour in the atmosphere.

The vapour density is the weight of a volume of pure gas compared to the weight of an equal volume of dry air. It is calculated as the ratio of the molecular weight of the gas to the average weight of air.

A vapour density less than 1 means that the gas is lighter than air and will rise in a calm atmosphere. A figure greater than 1 indicates that the gas is heavier than air and will fall. Gases with vapour densities greater than 1 are dangerous because they fill low lying spaces such as cellars and basements. They provide a problem by excluding oxygen, creating the risk of asphyxiation or, if flammable, they may travel considerable distances to a source of ignition and flash back to the source (ie LPG).

Percentage of volatile compounds that can produce vapour.

The volatile organic compounds present that can vapourise.

1. Who should prepare a MSDS and who has access to them?
2. When should a MSDS be updated?
3. What are the 4 major headings for a MSDS?
4. Why is the statement "Use suitable PPE" by itself not good enough for a MSDS?
5. Under what conditions should a MSDS be updated?
6. Compare the attached MSDS’s with the layout recommended in the Code of Practice for the Preparation of Material Safety Data Sheets. How do they compare. Which ones are good ones?
7. Using the MSDS for Acetylene list the:

Hazardous properties

Use and storage procedures

Emergency Procedures.

Storage and disposal requirements.