MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEETS (MSDS)
by Xavier Uribe
One of the standards set by OSHA is the development of the Material Safety and Data Sheet (MSDS). A MSDS is a form that contains details of the hazards associated with a chemical and provides information on its safe use. Specifically, as defined by the Oxford Laboratory at Oxford University, the MSDS for a chemical may contain up to 16 sections, as follows:
Section 1: General Identification of Chemical including trade name, manufacturer/supplier and emergency call-out information for the manufacturer/supplier.
Section 2: Physical Composition Information and data on the components of the chemical including CAS (Chemical Abstracts Service) identification numbers and percentage of each component in a compound chemical.
Section 3: Hazards Identification including a description of the hazard (e.g., toxic, Highly flammable, etc), and other information pertaining to specific dangers to humans and the environment (e.g., causes cancer, exposure through inhalation, contact with skin, etc).
Section 4: First Aid Measures such as "after inhalation, supply fresh air, keep patient warm, seek medical advice, after skin contact, etc.
Section 5: Fire Fighting Measures such as appropriate extinguishing agents (i.e., carbon dioxide, extinguishing powder, foam or water spray).
Section 6: Accidental Release Measures including person-related safety precautions such as wearing protective equipment and clothing, measures for environmental protection, measures for cleaning, collecting and disposal of the chemical.
Section 7: Handling and Storage of the chemical, including information for safe handling, such as keeping containers tightly sealed, storing in cool, dry place, protection against explosions and fires, protection against electrostatic discharge, and storage requirements for storerooms and receptacles.
Section 8: Exposure Controls and Personal Protection including additional information about design of handling systems such as fume hoods, limit values of exposure that require monitoring, and personal protective equipment and hygienic measures such as washing hands, removing contaminated clothing, use of gloves, safety glasses and face protection.
Section 9: Physical and Chemical Properties such as the form of the chemical (liquid, solid, gas), color of the chemical (or colorless), odors from the chemical, changes in condition such as boiling point and melting point temperatures.
Section 10: Stability and Reactivity Information such as thermal decomposition conditions that must be avoided, (e.g., decomposition will not occur if used and stored according to specifications), other materials to be avoided such as keeping chemical away from oxidizing agents, any known dangerous reactions to other chemicals, and dangerous by products of decomposition or contamination.
Section 11: Toxicological Information such as warnings of "Acute Toxicity", irritant effects on skin and mucous membranes, chronic or long term effects of exposure to the chemical, and identification as a carcinogen.
Section 12: Ecological Information including general notes about not releasing the chemical to the environment without proper governmental permits.
Section 13: Disposal Considerations such as the need to consult state, local or federal regulations for proper disposal.
Section 14: Transport Information including Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations such as hazard class identification and Packing information such as type of packaging and color of containers.
Section 15: Regulations including hazard codes which indicate the principle hazards associated with the chemical and the precautions which should be taken when working with the chemical.
Section 16: Other information including additional information such as the name of the person preparing the data sheet, the list of references from which data have been drawn, any disclaimers and other information that employers should use only as a supplement to information gathered by them. This information is subject to independent judgment of suitability to ensure proper use to protect the health and safety of employees.
SAFETY IN FIBER OPTICS TRAINING
Now that you are familiar with the creation of OSHA, the development of Safety Standards in support of its mission, and the interpretation of a specific standard called MSDS, how does this relate to Fiber Optics safety training?
Depending on the training, there is a high potential, even a high probability, that one or more of the following chemicals will be used: Alcohol, epoxies, UV adhesives, anaerobic adhesive hardeners, primers, fiber clean gels, cable pulling lubricants, matching gels, solvents, resins, and degreasers and other cleaners. Each and every one of these substances is a chemical, or a compound made up of chemicals, for which there is an MSDS.
Let us consider the following two OSHA facts:
1. There were 5,915 worker deaths in the year 2000
2. There were 5.7 million injuries/illnesses among private sector firms in the year 2000
While many of these deaths, injuries and illnesses were related to highway incidents, electrocutions, falls, and contact with objects or equipment, a large number of these were related to fires and explosions involving chemicals, or from direct contact with chemicals.
In 2001, federal OSHA identified the following violations and penalties resulting from 35,897 OSHA inspections:
OSHA Violation Type/Number/Penalty
Willful/683/$18,133,778.00
Serious/53,365/$49,107,548.00
Repeat/1,992/$8,311,599.00
Failure to Abate/217/$923,518.00
Other/22,353/$2,166,111.00
Unclassified/290/$3,432,259.00
Total Violations: 78,900 at a cost of $82,074,813.00
From these facts and figures we easily identify that there are high costs, both in human suffering and in business dollars, associated with NOT focusing on safety. When you consider that in the training environment we typically allow students to use the many chemicals associated with fiber optics, yet these students are the very ones that lack experience with them. It is safe to say that in training it is just as important, if not more important, to be familiar with the MSDS for the chemicals we use, and to teach the importance and interpretation of these forms in order to avoid the costly injuries, illnesses and deaths associated with the use of chemicals.
Morally, we are responsible as individuals to ensure the health and safety of our students. From a business perspective, the negative impacts on a business from an accident resulting from negligence around safety training, can be catastrophic to a business and may well define the success or failure of that business. Including the MSDS in the training material, making its understanding and interpretation a part of the course content, and emphasizing to the students the importance of the MSDS in both the classroom and job environments, provides a means for avoiding the legal and moral consequences from accidents in the classroom.
Xavier Uribe
Director-Telecommunications Instruction
Applied Professional Training, Inc.
Xavier Uribe is Director of Telecommunications Instruction at Applied Professional Training, Inc. Xavier has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Industrial Electronics Technology from California State University, Long Beach, and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Pepperdine University with emphasis on Telecommunications Management. Xavier’s experience includes twenty-five years with Pacific Bell as a Communications Technician in Network Operations, a Network Operations Manager, a Technical Course Developer and Instructor, and a Technical Manager in Operations Support Staff and Billing Operations Staff. Xavier also worked as a systems analyst and Director of Customer Service for a systems development company.
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