Material Safety Data Sheets for Hazardous Substances (17c)
This fact sheet provides an overview of hazardous substances Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for employers and employees in the Commonwealth jurisdiction. It outlines what a MSDS is, how to get one and what information should be provided.
What is a Material Safety Data Sheet?
A MSDS is a document prepared by the manufacturer of a hazardous substance. A MSDS describes the properties and uses of a particular hazardous substance. There are details in the MSDS on the identity of the substance, chemical and physical properties, health hazard information, and precautions for use and safe handling information. (See the Occupational Health and Safety (Safety Standards) Regulations 1994, regulation 6.05)
Why do I need a Material Safety Data Sheet?
There are tens of thousands of chemicals used in workplaces, ranging from metal dusts and fumes to cleaning agents. Not all chemicals are alike, some chemicals are necessary to support life, for example amino acids are the building blocks of our bodies. Other chemicals such as hydrogen cyanide, a naturally occurring compound, can end life very quickly.
To assess the risks to health that these chemicals may pose we need information on the hazardous nature of the chemical substance. A MSDS is designed to provide this information. Without a MSDS the user could remain ignorant of the hazardous nature of the substance, how it could affect their health or safety and what to do in case of an emergency.
For employers, there is a legal obligation to obtain a MSDS on or before the first supply of the hazardous substance. This MSDS must be made readily available to all persons that use the substance or have reasonable need for requesting the information.
Where does the Material Safety Data Sheet come from?
The hazardous substance regulations require suppliers of hazardous substances to workplaces to provide a copy of the MSDS. The MSDS should be provided on the first supply of the substance to a workplace or should be available upon request. The manufacturer can be contacted for a copy of the MSDS if one is not available from the supplier.
What if the supplier will not provide a Material Safety Data Sheet?
There will probably be four reasons why a MSDS is not available for a substance:
- the substance has been determined not to be hazardous according to the Australian Safety and Compensation Council (ASCC) (formerly NOHSC) document Approved Criteria for Classifying Hazardous Substances
- the substance is old stock, is no longer produced and no MSDS is available
- the substance is a mixture that contains hazardous substance(s) but the proportion is below the cut off limit used to determine whether the mixture is hazardous
- the supplier is not complying with the law
A person who purchases a hazardous substance for use at work has a right to insist on receiving a MSDS. If the supplier refuses to provide a MSDS, the purchaser should insist on evidence that the substance is not hazardous. A purchaser who does not get this type of customer service from their supplier should change supplier and not use the chemical. If a supplier will not cooperate, contact your OHS Adviser or State OHS Manager of Comcare.
It is very important that the purchaser or user gets the original manufacturer’s MSDS for a hazardous substance. There may be particular ingredients or additives in the formulation that a generic or non-specific MSDS does not mention. Generic MSDS are those that you can get from books and data bases and are very useful for substances produced on site.
If a supplier’s MSDS is not available because the substance is being produced in the workplace either as a product, by-product or waste-product then equivalent information should be sought. This supporting information may include a non-specific MSDS from data bases such as the National Industrial Chemical Notification and Assessment Scheme (NICNAS) administered by ASCC, or information from technical journals or references.
How do I know what should be on a Material Safety Data Sheet?
When conducting a workplace assessment items to look for on a MSDS include:
- company details
- sufficient information to identify the product
- the recommended uses of the product
- the physical and chemical properties
- the ingredients
- health hazard information such as the health effects and first aid procedures
- precautions for use, such as exposure standards, use of personal protective equipment and flammability
- safe handling information, such as storage and transport, dealing with spills and disposal, fire hazard
- the manufacturer’s contact point
The manufacturer, in accordance with the regulations, must prepare a MSDS. Guidance on the preparation of a MSDS can be obtained from the ASCC National Code of Practice for the Preparation of Material Safety Data Sheets.
It is a minimum mandatory requirement to have a MSDS for a hazardous substance in the workplace. However it is good OHS management practice to have MSDS on all substances being used by employees, not just the designated hazardous substances.
All chemicals have the potential to cause harm if used inappropriately. Under s.16 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act 1991, an employer has an overriding duty of care to provide information to enable employees to perform their work without risk to health.
More information
Other fact sheets in this series
Additional fact sheets in this series on hazardous substances:
- 17a - Hazardous Supstances: Regulations, Codes of Practice & Guidance Material
- 17b - What is a Hazardous Substance?
- 17d - Labelling of Hazardous Substances
- 17e - Information Employers Must Obtain and Provide about Hazardous Substances
- 17f - Information Manufacturers and Suppliers Must Provide about Hazardous Substances
- 17g - Risk Management Approach to Hazardous Substances
- 17h - Training Employees Should Have about Hazardous Substances
- 17i - Health Surveillance and Atmospheric Monitoring for Hazardous Substances
Government authorities
Safe Work Australia:
- contact by phone: 02 6121-5317 or
- visit www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au
Contact Comcare
For further information, contact Comcare's Hotline:
- by phone on 1300 366 979
- by email at ohs.help@comcare.gov.au
Contact:
Phone: