When do you need an MSDS

You know you have seen them around your office, those yellow binders with the letters MSDS clearly marked on the front.  You may have been the lucky person to be in charge of updating that yellow binder, which left you feeling overwhelmed and confused to understand the process of figuring out to keep or to add an MSDS for a particular product.

There are always questions that come up such as

  • Do I need an MSDS for the hand lotion the secretary keeps on her desk
  • How long do I need to keep the MSDS on record to comply with OSHA
  • When should an MSDS be updated

…and the list of questions goes on

Depending on your employer, you may have a management team who is updated on OSHA’s regulations and will help make sure that is reflected in the workplace. OSHA has very specific guidelines that outline the use of safety data sheets. The complete guidelines can be viewed on their web site  www.osha.gov As well some employer’s have their own guidelines that they follow, so it is wise to check your companies policy and make sure that it is in line with OSHA guidelines for data sheet management.

If you are still using paper binders for your MSDS management you may want to consider going to digital format.  If you would be interested in learning more about this process, give KHA a call and we would be happy to give you some insight onto our services and how we can make the MSDS management easy for you and your company.