Calcium Carbonate classification confusion

[bigmack]

Is it hazardous or not ?
Chemwatch has it as Hazardous with the GHS warning and corrosive symbols .
MSDS from nearly every supplier has it as Not classified as hazardous .

I have Calcium carbonate powder and marble chips .
Chemwatch seems to also want to lump the two as calcium carbonate .

CSIS has marble chips and calcium carbonate as non hazardous.

To fit a Chemwatch GHS label or not ?

[Labbie]

Calcium Carbonate is classed as non Classificated by the CSIS, why would chemwatch put corrosive on it. Sounds a little silly to me. If you are a DoE school you must go by your bible the CSIS.

[bigmack]

It really is silly labbie .
next on the list calcium sulphate ....again nearly every supplier has it as non hazardous but chemwatch has a warning on it and several supplier MSDS link to the chemwatch SDS .

I realise we must obey the CSIS , but I thought that DoE schools had to use chemwatch , hence the confusion .

[Labbie]

So true Bigmack, it makes so very hard for the new labbies, wish chemwatch would get in tune with the CSIS or perhaps the other way around.

[Merilyn1]

The ultimate decider on the classification of a chemical is the safety data sheet from the supplier. Chemwatch SDSs are not recognised by legislation. I am not in a DET school, but from the outside I would be concerned about relying on CSIS unless it is updated regularly.
And Chemwatch is probably not interested in CSIS - schools are a small part of their business.
I do not trust Chemwatch for labelling due to the problems with their source information, as you've discovered.

[Labbie]

Chemwatch was linked to the CSIS way back in 1999, and chemwatch took on the legislation of the CSIS, so we as labbies had some one or a company to help us with SDS and labels. The CSIS is updated regularly perhaps many schools have the paper copy, the CSIS site was updated in June 2016.

[Merilyn1]

As I said, not a DET school so we don't have access to anything other than the original paper copy of CSIS - so no updates for us. Good to hear that you have access to something that is current. We should all only do what those-greater-than-us tell us to do!

[Narelle01]

Labbie, do you have a link where the 2016 CSIS can be looked at?
I heard the new one is coming out before Jan 2017

[Labbie]

https://detwww.det.nsw.edu.au/assetmana ... /index.htm

[Narelle01]

Thanks heaps - have bookmarked it