General Safety & Health Series

ANSI Material Safety Data Sheet

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI), working with the Chemical Manufacturer's Association (CMA), has developed the first standard format for Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS). While this new MSDS format is not required under the OSHA Hazard Communication Standard, OSHA is encouraging its use. Perhaps as important, most of the large chemical manufacturers in the United States appear to be adopting this MSDS format.

TPC Training Systems' training products on "The ANSI Material Safety Data Sheet" have been specifically created to educate employees about the ANSI MSDS format. Topics covered in these products include:

• The importance of the MSDS.
• The MSDS's role in the Hazard Communication Standard.
• Advantages of the ANSI format.
• Four basic questions the ANSI MSDS is designed to answer:
  • What is the material, and what are its hazards?
  • What should I do if a problem occurs?
  • What precautions should I take when working with this material?
  • Is there anything else I should know about this substance?
  • Review of the sections in the ANSI Material Safety Data Sheet.
  • and more.