An important tool for any competent property and street maintenance company to understand and use is an MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet), which is sometimes referred to as an SDS (Safety Data Sheet) or a PSDS (Product Safety Data Sheet). These data sheets all provide information that is important for the protection of the environment and needed by property and street maintenance service companies.
The MSDS tool provides critical information on materials and supplies regarding:
The appearance of MSDS information materials vary. Some are simply forms with information boxes; others have special formats with distinctive art including color designations that can be read at a glance from a distance on such topics as:
These artsy information packets are often printed on cardstock or a rigid material and a size that allows them to be displayed for easy viewing in proximity to the materials on which they are providing information.
All professionals using chemicals and volatile substances or working in the presence of them need the information contained in this data sheet.
As well, the Information is Needed by:
It is incumbent on owners and operators of businesses where such materials are found to maintain a full collection of pertinent MSDS documentation. They and their employees should understand the proper and necessary procedures and handling techniques for safe handling and prevention of unwanted exposures and accidents, as well as be able to take necessary action should any occur.
This is Important: MSDSs should be accessible and made immediately known and available to emergency response workers as soon as possible. The point of such documentation is not just to have the data available in case an emergency event occurs; it is important to have it available, communicated, and practiced before an emergency occurs by everyone and anyone who might be affected. An old mariner’s proverb says: “A catastrophe is an emergency no one drilled the handling for.”
This is Also Important: There are OSHA requirements and standards to follow regarding the writing and use of MSDSs that have not been discussed on this blog. Some things are not written in stone, but are recommended. In any case, such government programs tend to evolve, and so property and street maintenance companies and other businesses should strive to remain up to date.
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