Henshaw outlines plan to enforce MSDS accuracy

Henshaw outlines plan to enforce MSDS accuracy

Keywords: Hazardous materials, Technical regulations

In testimony before the Senate Employment, Safety and Training Subcommittee,OSHA Administrator John L. Henshaw outlined the agency's plans to check the accuracy of material safety data sheets (MSDSs).

Henshaw said that OSHA is developing an enforcement initiative for compliance officers to review and evaluate the adequacy of MSDSs. Under this program, OSHA will choose a certain number of chemicals, and following the requirements in the hazard communication standard, identify some critical elements (phrases, words,etc.) that should appear on an accurate MSDS.

Compliance officers will use this information as they encounter MSDSs for these chemicals at worksites. Where MSDSs are found that do not contain these critical elements, OSHA will notify the manufacturer in writing of the deficiencies or inaccuracies, Henshaw said. Manufacturers will be required to correct and update their MSDSs. They will then have to respond to OSHA and inform the agency of the steps taken to correct and update their data sheet.

Those manufacturers that fail to respond or do not update their MSDSs can potentially be cited under the hazard communication standard, according to Henshaw.