Chemicals suppliers’ safety data sheets

A practical problem faced by tanneries is that many chemical products are proprietary products. Many suppliers do not specify the chemical composition of the products, so tanneries may have to seek additional information from the chemical suppliers in order to determine the environmental impact of the products they use. Sometimes it is also difficult for tanneries to receive accurate information also from the suppliers of the chemicals. Material safety data sheets generally provide some data on the toxicity of the products to humans and environment, and many tanneries use these as the sole source of information to determine the environmental impact of a certain substance. It can be expected in the EU in the future that tanneries will receive more detailed information about the substances used because of the REACH legislation. 

Control the classification, provision of labels and safety data sheets, and safe packaging of chemicals by supplier. 

Record potential pollutant sources in the building. Note the locations of major sources. Major sources such as large items of equipment can be recorded on the floor plan. Record the names and locations of chemicals or hazardous substances used or stored within the building, such as those that may be contained in cleaning materials, biocides, paints, caulks, and adhesives. Ask your suppliers to provide you with Material Safety Data Sheets. You may be unaware of the potential hazards... 

Supplier Notification. In 1989 and subsequent years, suppliers of facilities in SIC codes 20-39 are required to develop and distribute a notice if the mixtures or trade name products that they manufacture or process, and subsequently distribute, contain listed toxic chemicals. These notices are distributed to other companies in SIC codes 20-39 or to companies that sell the product to facilities in SIC codes 20-39. tf a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) is not required for the mixture or trade name product, the notification must be in written form (i.e., letter or attachment to a MSDS). Otherwise, the notice must be incorporated into or attached to the MSDS for that product. The supplier notification requirement began with the first shipment of a product in 1989 and must accompany the first shipment each year thereafter. In addition, a new or revised notice must be sent if a change occurs in the product which affects the weight percent of a listed chemical or if it is discovered that a previous notice did not property identify the chemicals or the percentage by weight. For more information on supplier notification, see Appendix E. 

Go to the Web and develop a list of suppliers along with unit costs for some of the various types of flocculants described in this chapter. Also obtain the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheets) for these chemicals. Once you have collected the information, develop a relative ranking of unit cost and health risk associated with each. For question 2 you will need information of recommended doses. 

The first step is to identify the substances present at the workplace. As a starting point, knowledge of the process is needed in order to formulate a list of all chemical agents used in the establishment. The list should include not only primary products but also intermediate and final products, as well as reaction products and by-products. For the chemical agents in the list, it is necessary to know their chemical properties, especially hazardous ones their OEL values, including biological limit values and, where these are not available, other technical criteria that can be used to evaluate the risk. It is also helpful to include any information on the safety and health risks of those substances provided by the supplier or other readily available sources. This information on dangerous substances and preparations, in the form of safety data sheets, is intended primarily for industrial users, to enable them to take the measures necessary to ensure the safety and health of workers. 

Material Safety Data Sheets (OSHA Form 20, see Figure 1) are available from suppliers for every chemical sold. These give valuable information of a specific nature and should be kept on file. A phone call to the nearest office of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) of the U.S. Department of Labor will bring forth more information on safety, both oral and written. 

The monomers, catalysts or hardeners, or plasticizers can include chemicals with the potential to irritate the skin, mucous membranes or respiratory tract. Some can promote skin or respiratory sensitization. The range of chemicals in use is extremely wide, so that reference should be made to the Materials Safety Data Sheet for each specific formulation or variation of it identifiable by reference to the supplier s proprietary name and code number. Some common resin types are summarized in Table 5.55. 

Suppliers must also provide the customer with more detailed information on the hazards and safety precautions of their products. If the chemicals are to be used in connection with work this is usually in a Material Safety Data Sheet. Relevant information from Table 1.10 should be included and at least cover that listed in Table 14.10. 

Your first source for chemical reactivity data should be your material manufacturer or supplier/distributor. Some manufacturers and suppliers have developed pamphlets or other product literature giving more extensive information than what is on the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS). You... 

Chemical suppliers send material safety data sheets to centres when chemicals are purchased, so you should ask your teacher or lecturer to see these when you are preparing your risk assessment. 

To identify other hazardous wastes in shop, the three types of the material safety data sheet (MSDS) provided by the supplier of the product should be reviewed. A plant manager can also find out the hazardous ingredients in the processing chemical and refer to the State Hazardous Waste Regulations or call the State Division of Hazardous Waste. 

MSDS (Materials Safety Data Sheets) sheets are available from the suppliers of commercially available reagents, solvents, and other chemical materials anyone performing an experiment should check these data sheets before initiating an experiment to learn of any specific hazards associated with the chemicals being used in that experiment. 

The handbook provides ready information on the fire and chemical reactivity of commonly used chemicals. Its purpose is to provide basic information important to the safe handling of chemicals and to help provide guidance in responding to a hazardous materials incident, in particular, incidents involving reactive chemicals and materials posing fire and explosion hazards. The data and information on each chemical have been compiled from several sources, including the CHRIS data base, material safety data sheets from chemical manufacturers and suppliers, and various references cited at the end of this first chapter. This first chapter provides an explanation of the terms used in chemical specific discussions and also provides basic guidance on how to extract information from the handbook. 

Exposure scenarios specify the conditions in which the chemical is to be used (including the protective equipment to be used, working practices, products it is incorporated into, how consumers use those products and how these are disposed), limiting the range of the conditions that must be considered in the exposure assessment. The exposure scenario is annexed to the chemical safety data sheet that is passed to downstream users of the chemical. Those downstream users are required to pass information back to their suppliers about their use of the substance, the exposure to the substance involved in that use and the practicality of specified risk reduction measures. If a use is significantly different from those identified in the CSA, the user must report this to the European Chemicals Agency and prepare its own CSA, or ask the manufacturer to revise the CSA to include that use. 

Additional information on health and safety aspects should be sought by consulting material safety data sheets available from suppliers of the chemical in question. In addition, most suppliers of bleaching chemicals, upon request, provide on-site training sessions by experts on the safe use and handling of their products. 

The manufacturing of alkyd resins involves a wide variety of organic ingredients. Whereas most of them are relatively mild and of low toxicity, some, such as phthalic anhydride, maleic anhydride, solvents, and many of the vinyl (especially acrylic) monomers, are known irritants or skin sensitizers and are poisonous to humans. The hazard potential of the chemicals should be determined by consulting the Material Safety Data Sheets provided by the suppliers, and recommended safety precautions in handling the materials should be practiced. 

Reactive Chemicals Exposure. The hazards associated with exposure to reactive chemicals vary with the chemicals produced. The multitude of chemicals produced electrochemically precludes a detailed discussion of these hazards. Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) are available from suppliers. Anyone contemplating the production of a chemical must become thoroughly familiar with all safety, health, and environmental aspects of such production. 

Isocyanates. Isocyanates in general are toxic chemicals and require great care in handling. Oral ingestion of substantial quantities of isocyanates can be tolerated by the human body, but acute symptoms may develop from the inhalation of much smaller amounts. The inhalation of isocyanates presents a hazard for the people who work with them as well as the people who live in the proximity of an isocyanate plant. Adequate control of exposure is necessary to achieve a safe working environment. The suppliers Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) have to be consulted for the most current information on the safe handling of isocyanates. 

Furthermore, REACH includes new or increased demands on the bidirectional flow of data and information in the supply chain (Tide IV) and places demands on downstream users (Tide V). For instance, REACH includes provisions on safety data sheets for substances on the candidate list (Article 31 and Annex II) and forces suppliers of articles to actively provide information for the safe use of the articles (Article 33). In addition, REACH entities consumers to, without charge, request information within 45 days on the safe use of articles containing SVHCs in concentrations above 0.1 wt% (Article 33). It remains to be seen to what extent the increased flows of information will impact on the management of chemicals. However, companies that work with environmental management systems and companies located closer to consumers in commodity chains will probably seek more actively to decrease chemical-related risks. 

Safety Data Sheets must be supplied to companies upon first business transaction for dangerous substances and preparations. The Safety Data Sheet summarises hazard data and the appropriate safety measure for use and disposal of the given chemical. Thereafter, suppliers and users share responsibility for updating a Safety Data Sheet. A Safety Data Sheet must usually be made available upon demand for professional users but not members of the general public. 

The Chemicals (Hazard Information and Packaging for Supply) (CHIP) Regulations 2009 require manufacturers and suppliers to provide users with information about hazards and health risks by labelling their products with relevant hazard information and by issuing Material Safety Data Sheets. 

Six types of carbon black are produced worldwide acetylene black, channel black, furnace black, gas black, lamp black and thermal black. Specific physical and chemical properties of a carbon black grade are summarized on its material safety data sheet and the suppliers product technical bulletin. 

Suppliers should also periodically review the information on which the label and safety data sheet for a substance or mixture is based, even if no new and significant information has been provided to them in respect of that substance or mixture. This will require e.g. a search of chemical hazard databases for new information. The competent authority may choose to specify a time (typically 3-5 years) from the date of original preparation, within which suppliers should review the labels and SDS information. 

The supplier, manufacturer, or importer should be able to provide detailed information about the product on an MSDS (or an SDS or MDS). Chemicals that are used in the workplace are usually accompanied by an MSDS. Safety data sheet information can be found under several names, such as ... 

ILO Chemical Convention 170 and Recommendation 177 The purpose of the International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention 170 and Recommendation 177 concerning safety in the use of chemicals at work is to protect workers who use chemicals in their workplace. The Convention, which came into force in November 1993, covers hazard classification and communication of hazards, chemical identity, and precautions on labels. It also requires that chemical safety data sheets for hazardous chemicals be provided to employers. Chemical suppliers are responsible for ensuring that chemicals... 

This database contains the complete text of over 130,000 Material Safety Data Sheets compiled by the Canadian Center for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS). This information was gathered from over 500 manufacturers and suppliers in the United States and Canada. Each record covers one chemical substance and provides trade and supplier name, description, chemical/physical properties, reactivity, health hazards, storage and disposal, personal protection, cleanup and disposal, and emergency first aid (CCINFOLINE, STN available on CD from CCOHS). 

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