Sodium Hydroxide solution on Risk assess

MSDSs, Storage, Handling, Transport, Labeling, computer management systems, and anything else to do with safety.
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bigmack
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Sodium Hydroxide solution on Risk assess

Post by bigmack »

I printed some labels on risk assess a few months ago

NaOH 1mol/L was Danger Green Dot and corrosive .

Just printing some more and its changed to Orange dot .

Has anyone else noticed this ?
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Labbie
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Re: Sodium Hydroxide solution on Risk assess

Post by Labbie »

Yes bigmack they do this from time to time, so we WHERE told I'm retired now, it is mainly for the big company's that have much larger bottles then us labbies. Some company's have 20 Litre's of the stuff.
Regards Labbie

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Now retired :wub:
Merilyn1
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Re: Sodium Hydroxide solution on Risk assess

Post by Merilyn1 »

Phillip Crisp bases his dots on rating from the UN. So when they change something he (Riskassess) will keep up with those changes and adjust the year group accordingly.
I've had my 1M as an orange dot for quite some time.
Conversely, HCl risk was lowered some time ago.
bigmack
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Re: Sodium Hydroxide solution on Risk assess

Post by bigmack »

OK thanks .
Just wasn't sure if it was an error that had occurred .
Merilyn1
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Re: Sodium Hydroxide solution on Risk assess

Post by Merilyn1 »

bigmack wrote: 27 Jul 2022, 11:49 OK thanks .
Just wasn't sure if it was an error that had occurred .
Not sure if you've ever contacted Phillip but he is very helpful and if ever you are in doubt, don't hesitate in checking in with him. The great thing about Riskassess (over the CSIS package) is that it is kept up to date and I have a lot of trust in what Riskassess do.
labbassistant
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Re: Sodium Hydroxide solution on Risk assess

Post by labbassistant »

I've never used risk assess for labeling as we have saved labels on our drive, but I was having a go and I put in Acetone to see what it looks like, and it didn't have the precautionary statements or hazard statements. Isn't having those a requirement for GHS labels?
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Labbie
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Re: Sodium Hydroxide solution on Risk assess

Post by Labbie »

Yes I thought it was Labbassistant, indeed, can not remember where I read it but yes yes
Regards Labbie

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Merilyn1
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Re: Sodium Hydroxide solution on Risk assess

Post by Merilyn1 »

labbassistant wrote: 28 Jul 2022, 08:22 I've never used risk assess for labeling as we have saved labels on our drive, but I was having a go and I put in Acetone to see what it looks like, and it didn't have the precautionary statements or hazard statements. Isn't having those a requirement for GHS labels?
If you were after the pure liquid label, yes it does show pictograms. I had a quick look at common dilutions (1M and 0.1M) and they don't have pictograms as they are non-hazardous. GHS pictograms only need to be on labels of hazardous chemicals.

I think this is a good reason why you should print labels as you need them. That way you capture any recent changes to the toxicity of a chemical. Saving or stockpiling labels put you at risk of not having the most up to date information on your labels.
labbassistant
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Re: Sodium Hydroxide solution on Risk assess

Post by labbassistant »

Merilyn1 wrote: 28 Jul 2022, 10:27
labbassistant wrote: 28 Jul 2022, 08:22 I've never used risk assess for labeling as we have saved labels on our drive, but I was having a go and I put in Acetone to see what it looks like, and it didn't have the precautionary statements or hazard statements. Isn't having those a requirement for GHS labels?
If you were after the pure liquid label, yes it does show pictograms. I had a quick look at common dilutions (1M and 0.1M) and they don't have pictograms as they are non-hazardous. GHS pictograms only need to be on labels of hazardous chemicals.

I think this is a good reason why you should print labels as you need them. That way you capture any recent changes to the toxicity of a chemical. Saving or stockpiling labels put you at risk of not having the most up to date information on your labels.
I understand the warning signs and the pictograms, but I mean the actual hazard statements and precautionary statements.
For eg.
haz statement
causes serious eye damage

Precautionary statement
Wear face/eye/hands protection

I understand it as these are required to be on the labels, but risk assess doesn't produce this
RosalieL
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Re: Sodium Hydroxide solution on Risk assess

Post by RosalieL »

Thanks labassistant, you've got me thinking!! I had a look at RiskAssess and the large labels have all the info, the small ones just have the pictograms. I went down a rabbit warren of searching and found the answer! It's to do with the size of the bottle being labeled. Dropper bottles don't need the hazard statements and precautionary statements on their labels.

"Small containers

The model WHS Regulations allow small containers to have less information on their labels.

There’s no defined size for small containers. However, exemptions apply for containers when their size prevents you including all the label elements in a way that is clear and easy to read. This may depend on the:

size of the container
number of hazard communication elements needed on the label
presence of information required other labelling schemes require, such as the Australian Dangerous Goods (ADG) Code, the Agricultural Chemicals Labelling Code and the Veterinary Labelling Code or the Standard for the Uniform Scheduling of Medicines and Poisons (SUSMP).
Labels for small containers must include as much of the hazardous communication elements as possible. You should prioritise information about the most significant hazards on the label.

WHS pictograms and label text should remain clear and easy to read.

There are no mandatory sizes for WHS labels and their elements, unless the label has ADG labelling elements.

If there are ADG labelling elements on the labels, then you will need to follow the minimum label element sizes set out by the ADG Code. "

The above info is taken from:

https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/sa ... egulations

Thank you for bringing this up because I am about to revamp our chemical storage this term (if I get the new bottles I've requested) and have learnt a few things along the way!
Merilyn1
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Re: Sodium Hydroxide solution on Risk assess

Post by Merilyn1 »

Spot on Rosalie!
labbassistant
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Re: Sodium Hydroxide solution on Risk assess

Post by labbassistant »

That makes sense. It's a nightmare trying to fit all the statements onto a label :crazy:
Thank you!
RosalieL
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Re: Sodium Hydroxide solution on Risk assess

Post by RosalieL »

labbassistant wrote: 28 Jul 2022, 13:28 That makes sense. It's a nightmare trying to fit all the statements onto a label :crazy:
Thank you!
Yes, I have some here that just about require a microscope to be able to read all the info!! I am really glad this thread made me look though because in the past I've only printed the dropper sized labels for convenience and now I know that if the bigger labels fit on the bottle I should print those instead!
labbassistant
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Re: Sodium Hydroxide solution on Risk assess

Post by labbassistant »

So for example, if you were asked for 1M sodium hydroxide in dropper bottles, and your label on them were the ones from risk assess, without the haz/precautionary statements, would you print a mini SDS for the prac, so they have the safety information on hand?
Merilyn1
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Re: Sodium Hydroxide solution on Risk assess

Post by Merilyn1 »

I don't use mini SDSs at all. Teachers have access to the full SDS from the supplier. There is no legal need to provide any further information.
The law states that anyone who uses, handles or stores a hazardous chemical must have access to the relevant SDS and as Rosalie pointed out, there are exemptions for small containers. Always keep in perspective too, that some industries a 25L drum may seem small so don't get stressed about 20ml!

Another thing to remember, in terms of how much information you provide - anyone using the chemical should have considered the hazards, assessed the risks and developed controls before they commence the task, not after an incident occurs! They should have read the SDS before starting, not in the middle of a spill etc.
labbassistant
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Re: Sodium Hydroxide solution on Risk assess

Post by labbassistant »

100% right,
Thank you!
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