Hazardous Substances:

Is That Substance Hazardous ?

The Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) certainly has its limitations—some of them dangerous. But as NZ Safety marketing manager Ross Appleton points out, help is at hand. A man comes home from work and fries a steak for his evening meal. Three hours later, he is dead of cypermethrin poisoning. The victim of a murderous wife? Perhaps. But it’s more likely he mistook oily pyrethrin pesticide for cooking oil. This true story highlights how important it is to always correctly identify the substance being used. It applies not only in the kitchen, but in all aspects of domestic and professional life. There are several ways that chemicals can cause harm. They may have poisonous, toxic or corrosive properties. They can be an irritant, both in the respiratory system and on the skin, and they can sensitise victims, resulting in allergic reactions. Some chemicals have explosive and/or flammable characteristics, creating safety risks while using them. When we consider that there are 5.2 million chemicals registered, each with its own specific identification number; and there are reportedly as many as 25,000 new chemicals developed each year, it is no wonder positively identifying a substance and its harmful properties can be a difficult task. Employers are instructed to obtain a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for every chemical used by employees. But this does little good when there is currently no official standard for the preparation of MSDS, only an OSH Guideline (NB: A Code of Practice has been drafted to support compliance with requirements of the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms (HSNO) Act, but it is still under review). Nor is there any real accountability for the reliability of the information contained in these documents. It is, for example, common to find inconsistencies within MSDS information such as advice regarding glove selection. One only has to compare a few versions of MSDS for the same substance supplied by different manufacturers to find how significant this problem is. If the information provided in MSDS is flawed to begin with, the task of identifying chemical hazards becomes so much more difficult. This is particularly true of small enterprises with limited resources. And when such a large proportion of New Zealand

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enterprises are small, it’s easy to see that standardisation of the preparation of MSDS could—and should--make a big difference…just a thought. However, for the moment we have to work with what we have. And because accountability for hazard identification largely rests with the employer, there is little value in simply tossing the MSDS into a ring binder and putting it on a shelf. These documents must be read and understood, and the information must be checked to ensure its accuracy. Five important things to look for when checking MSDS accuracy are: • Compare any assigned Dangerous Goods Class and precautions for use to find any

inconsistencies. • Check whether health effects indicate a degree of seriousness out of line with the

precautions for use. • Any missing information or generalisations need further investigation. • If information about active ingredients lacks detail, more information is required. • Contradictions within the text may indicate understatement of toxicity.

But how do employers or health & safety professionals find more detailed information about the substances workers are exposed to? A good starting point is always the Internet, because it provides resources accessible to businesses of all sizes. Here are some suggestions sites to get you started: • www.osh.govt.nz – the official OSH website. With in-depth analysis of HSNO and

the HSE act, a range of resourced articles specific to New Zealand, and much more, this is a great first port-of-call.

• www.safetyinfo.com - reported to be America’s largest online safety library, it has a MSDS search facility, as well as programs on safety, occupational health, ergonomics, emergency and process safety. Well worth a visit.

• www.nohsc.gov.au - Australia’s National Occupational Health & Safety Commission. This site has a section on chemicals, which includes information on hazardous substances and dangerous goods, as well as agricultural and veterinary chemicals.

• www.chemsafety.gov - the United States Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board.

• http://msds.ehs.cornell.edu/msdssrch.asp - Cornell University’s website for MSDS assistance.

• www.rmt.com.au - an Australian provider of a chemical management database and MSDS database, which can be subscribed to on CD as well.

• http://ccinfoweb.ccohs.ca/ - gives access to one of the world’s leading providers of occupational health and safety information, including an extensive MSDS database.

In New Zealand, the National Poisons Centre has a database on CD that can be subscribed to. This information strongly favours the health effects and first-aid criteria, with less detail on handling and transportation.

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Other databases that can be subscribed to are available through Resource Management Technologies of Australia marketing Chem Alert (www.rmt.com.au) and Chemwatch through jburgess@internet.co.nz. NZ Safety Limited offers a free advisory service through their Safeline 0800 100014, which operates Monday to Friday from 7.30am to 6.00pm. Among other health and safety topics, this professional service provides free advice relating to hazardous materials handling and MSDS assistance, along with gas detection and height safety advice. This is among a series of articles produced in the interests of workplace safety by New Zealand’s largest supplier of safety NZ Safety. Other articles in the series can be accessed free on the company’s website http://www.nzsafety.co.nz