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Hi everyone,

I have a couple of questions.....with the new GHS coming, do we have to reprint all the MSDS's that we currently have to be GHS compliant??

Should I be putting the MSDS sheets out with every prac I assemble??

Sorry, but there is little to NO information given to me here, so I thought I'd better find out from you lovely people who know all there is to know!

Thanks in anticipation.......

Helen

If you put a GHS label on a bottle, the SDS mini does not need to go out with that bottle or prac. Re print your SDS bit by bit, no hurry I believe it must be done by 2017. Remember you only have to have a SDS for Hazdous goods. Not liquid soap, lemonade, chalk,

O.K. Thanks for the quick reply, Sue!

Safety Data Sheets are gradually getting changed over in time for the 2017 deadline. So as long as you stick with updating them when they expire, i.e. every five years you should be right for the deadline. A new SDS that is produced today has to be compliant with GHS guidelines. I haven't thought about what happens in January 2017 if I still have ones that are not GHS happy! Too far away!

Before anyone (including teachers) uses a chemical they should have read the SDS beforehand. They need to be available but not necessarily with the chemical. We use Riskassess here, and I print a copy of the prac which goes with the equipment, providing a summary of what is there. At another school, I had to send the mini SDSs with each prac. However, Workcover does not recognise mini SDSs so you also need the full sheet on file and available to all staff that use the chemicals.

you also need the full sheet on file and available to all staff that use the chemicals.

Who would not even know where they were or care for that matter!!

I sometimes wonder why I bother. No one EVER looks at them except me. Our head teacher wouldn't even know if they were up to date. One of those thankless behind the scene jobs that you even wonder if it matters considering they are all available on line!

Too true, Rae. At least WE know we are doing the right thing. I don't get paid enough to worry about the rest of them

I don't think the teachers here would know where any SDS's, either mini or full are even kept!! They're a pretty relaxed bunch here. I do have a folder of SDS sheets in each prep room, I'll have to start going through them. We don't use risk assess here, I have asked the H.T. and she said " oh yes I must get onto that" but that was last year so.......... I'm so pleased I found this forum, to be able to get answers.

Cheers everyone

What's worse than no-one caring? Having a new HOD make a fuss about getting them up to date, and her Labbie saying unhelpful (and apparently uncooperative) things like: I have lessons to prepare/washing up to do/supplies to purchase/public buildings to burn down. You know - normal days at work!

rae wrote:

you also need the full sheet on file and available to all staff that use the chemicals.

Who would not even know where they were or care for that matter!!

I sometimes wonder why I bother. No one EVER looks at them except me. Our head teacher wouldn't even know if they were up to date. One of those thankless behind the scene jobs that you even wonder if it matters considering they are all available on line!

My HOD just walked in and asked if I'd had GHS training, how many times, how long ago, because she had to answer some questions the WHS officer at CSO asked her. She's never mentioned GHS in all the time I've been here . I don't think she even knows what it is.

Merilyn1 wrote:Too true, Rae. At least WE know we are doing the right thing. I don't get paid enough to worry about the rest of them

We sure don't

I am in the middle of updating ALL our SDS for Science - I have done the rest of the school and am now going through the 450 files I have. Then to print up 7 copies of them so they are in each location required Then it will be updating the mini-MSDS..and laminating them so they can go out with pracs - having 7 labs I have to have it all in place. And yes I know no one ever looks at them, and I was tempted to only print a few copies,
Until I realised that if I didn't have them where they may be needed then I may face a fine, so I really don't care if I use lots of the schools paper ink and time - I don't get paid enough to face maybe being fined for not doing the right thing.
I also decided to do all the items we use, even if they are not classified as hazardous - for the same reason, I would rather do an overkill and watch my own back then an under-kill and be at risk.. the school would not care if I got fined.. previous experience talking here, - so make sure you tick EVERY box no matter how stupid it seems.

I run with the overkill theory, too Sunray. Until I get firm information from the "powers-that-be" to do otherwise, I'll err on the side of caution. Considering that to determine if a substance is hazardous, we need to refer to the SDS, if I'm doing that, I may as well print it off, but I only have to have two hard copies, not the number you are looking at!

I agree Sunray overkill, we would be the first person in the firing line.

I've got to say that I hate GHS.
I don't know what I should be doing if anything, I've asked and get no clear reply so I'm sitting on it and waiting for it to blow up in my face, its an awful feeling.
Have there been any clear directives from DEC regarding this, and at what stage we should be at, and how to go about it.
If there is please someone point me in the right direction so I can take it to the powers that be here
CC

Hey, CC, I feel your pain! I'm not in a DEC school and thanks to my coordinator and myself asking for help for labbies we may get some training next year. I don't think the executive people in the system really understand the impact of the changes. I keep getting told to rely on Chemwatch

I wish that the powers that be get their act together so we could do our jobs. There should be a definitive answer to what we have do with SDS and when this must be done by. I haven't heard anything but feel I am being ignored by HOD. (paranoid ??) and the DET or whatever they are called this week.

HI ALL,
I submitted these Questions to ASSIST and their reply follows... GHS Label,: Could you please give a detailed example (picture of) the minimum legal requirement required for Labeling in terms of GHS, DET, First Aid information and any other information necessary on containers to meet compliance for -

a) Chemicals in original packaging

b) Chemicals stored in Reagent Bottles > 100ml for Science Prep Room/ classroom use

c) Chemical stored in 50 ml dropper bottles for classroom use

d) Chemicals stored temporarily in 50ml dropper bottles or greater ie: for single class use

and will indicators need to meet same compliance?


ASSIST's reply - 16 October, 2015....

We are in communication with Safe Work Australia as well as Health and Safety regulators in the Australian jurisdictions where the GHS has been adopted. We have been advised that guidance material regarding GHS-compliant labelling in the education sector is being developed and will be available in the not too distant future. The state and territory regulators are working together to provide a nationally consistent approach to the labelling of hazardous chemicals, however there still appears to be some differences between some jurisdictions. Therefore we are consulting with each of the relevant jurisdictions individually as each state or territory is responsible for regulating and enforcing the laws in their jurisdiction.

Science ASSIST is in the process of clarifying with the regulators many different aspects of the labelling specific to schools very much in line with your specific questions.

The aim of Science ASSIST is to make a recommendation that will satisfy all the regulators. We hope to have some very detailed information for you very soon.

AUSTRALIAN SCHOOL SCIENCE INFORMATION SUPPORT FOR TEACHERS AND TECHNICIANS
http://assist.asta.edu.au/
Check them out! and it's free membership

So I shall wait until ASSIST finalise their findings and if need, will refer to this as to why I haven't completed the task...
I hope this helps...
Cheers,
Kerry

Correct me if Im wrong, but i also believe the "new" GHS labels are for "use" only, that it when goes out in the lab for use, but storage is still the same as pre GHS, or has there been an update to this? MariaQ

I think that's right.
I asked a similar question and received the following answer from ScienceAssist.

http://assist.asta.edu.au/question/3282 ... id=24e4fc4

I hope the link works!!

MariaQ you are correct. If in NSW and you are a DEC school, you must follow the CSIS, no matter how out of date you may think it is.
GHS labels go on the bottles or containers, but you must store them to the CSIS , ANY THING GOING INTO A CLASSROOM, must have a label on it, plus a coloured dot. Even soap. Dropper bottles etc etc etc and lemonade, or coke. If it goes into a classroom it must have a label and coloured dot.