Do you know Who is Responsible for Providing SDS (Safety Data Sheet)? If you don’t, stay glued to this blog post to find out.
SDS (Safety Data Sheet) formally known as MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) is a document that provides all the necessary information about any and every chemical. Information found in SDS are:
- The physical properties of the chemical,
- The hazards associated with the chemical
- Protective measures necessary and safety precautions for handling, storing, and transporting the chemical.
- First aid measures to be taken where necessary.
So getting back to the question – “Who is Responsible for Providing SDS“?
Who is Responsible for Providing SDS (Safety Data Sheet) in the Workplace?
The duty of providing SDS in the workplace is a collective duty of the Chemical Manufacturer, Distributor, and the Employer.
It is a collective duty, here is the breakdown of their different duties:
Chemical Manufacturer Duty:
The duty of the chemical manufacturer is to develop the Safety data sheet as part of the hazard communication requirement to inform the end users of the composition of the chemical, safe storage, transport, hazards of the chemical, safety precautions, the first aid measures, etc.
They must ensure that an SDS follows every chemical produced.
Distributors Duty
The duty of the distributors as regard to SDS is to ensure that SDS accompany every chemical they distribute. This is important as they stand as the mid-point between the manufacturers and the end users. What this implies is that, if they don’t cascade the document across, the end users will not have access to it. And not having full information about the chemical in use put the users at a very high risk.
Employer Duty
The duty of the employer is very simple. It is just to make the SDS available for his employees and ensure that the safety controls within the SDS are followed by his employees.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
1. Who Should Create SDS
The job of creating or preparing SDS rest mainly on the manufacturer as the manufacturer is the one who knows everything about the chemical. OSHA-required every SDS to contain all elements outlined in OSHA Appendix D of the Hazard Communication Standard.
2. Minimum Information for an SDS
Here is the minimum information for an SDS:
- Chemical identification
- Hazard identification for the chemical
- Composition of the chemical
- First aid measures for the chemical
- Fire fighting measure for the chemical
- Accidental release measures
- Measures for handling and storage of the chemical
- Exposure controls/personal protection
- Physical and chemical properties
- Stability and reactivity
- Toxicological information
- Ecological information (Non-mandatory)
- Disposal considerations (Non-mandatory)
- Transport information (Non-mandatory)
- Regulatory information (Non-mandatory)
Conclusion
In conclusion, when thinking about Who is Responsible for Providing SDS, its starts with the chemical manufacturers who is responsible for developing the SDS, the distributors take charge of transporting the SDS with the chemicals to the employer who purchase the chemicals while the employer is responsible for making the SDS available to the employees.
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