Hi Everyone
When doing your hazardous materials register, do you go by the manufacturer's MSDS or by Chemwatch? I find that many substances are listed as non-hazardous on the manufacturer's MSDS but are classified hazardous (but with no diamonds) by Chemwatch. In fact chemwatch seems to classify just about everything as hazardous!
kathryn
My gut feel would be to go with the manufacturer's MSDS, this is the document that has to comply with legislation. Check that the MSDS has been issued within five years (they have to be updated every five years). If there is a discrepancy between the MSDS and Chemwatch I'd try contacting Chemwatch to see what they have to say.
(Thanks for the comments on the lab coats)
here is an example...
SELLEYS POLYGLAZE WASH AND WAX
Supplier's MSDS says "not classified as hazardous according to criteria of Safe Work Australia; NONHAZARDOUS SUBSTANCE."
Chemwatch says "HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCE. NON-DANGEROUS GOODS. According to NOHSC Criteria, and ADG Code."
I have tended to opt on the side of caution but it is making the register very long with substances which seem to me to be not much of a problem.
kathryn
The National Model Regulations for the Control of Workplace Hazardous Substances [NOHSC:1005(1994)] are the basis for hazardous substance regulations in Commonwealth, State and Territory jurisdictions. Under the National Model Regulations manufacturers and importers of substances supplied for use in workplaces are required to determine whether they are hazardous to health before supply.
The basis for determining whether a substance is hazardous, is the Approved Criteria for Classifying Hazardous Substances [NOHSC(1008:2004)] 3rd Edition (the Approved Criteria). The criteria included in the Approved Criteria are adopted from European Community (EC) legislation for classifying dangerous substances.
In order to help manufacturers, importers and suppliers apply the Approved Criteria, NOHSC has previously published the List of Designated Hazardous Substances (the List), which is a list of the more commonly used workplace hazardous substances. The last edition of the List, [NOHSC:10005(1999)], was published in hardcopy in 1999. HSIS now includes access to an updated consolidated listing of classified substances.
This list has been updated to April 2009.
Unfortuantly, many of the school based R & S information systems in particular and even suppliers MSDSs are based on very outdated information. One of the systems goes overboard on the safety information, the others are based on information almost a decade old.
I just went to Chemwatch and read the MSDS on Milk & Coffee OMG!!!!!!!!
I will never drink Coffee again
I am so glad I don't have Sugar or I may have shocked with that aswell
Noona Lab Manager
Greystanes High School
Beresford Rd
Greystanes 2145
8868 9113
ROSALIE.CASSAR@det.nsw.edu.au
If you get audited i belive that the worksafe folk go by the company/manufacturer MSDS
Due to these discrepencies WA has a totally differnt sytem - run by chemalert - it has a few teething problems but it supplies the manufacturing MSDS so there can be no misinterpretation/mistakes from one company to another before the end user to gets to see it.
We have been told manufacturing msds only - unless of course they no longer make or supply the substance (go bust/ get brought out ect) then it is a generic msds such as chem supply as they are easy to get hold of.
on Milk & Coffee OMG!!!!!!!!
