Material Safety Data Sheets

What is a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)?

While reading the label is the first step in identifying the hazards associated with a chemical product, the MSDS provides more detailed health and safety information.  An MSDS is a document prepared by the manufacturer of the product to provide information to the end-user.

Below is a summary of the information you can expect to find in an MSDS:

How to read a Material Safety Data Sheet

MSDS Requirements

For each hazardous substance supplied to the University:

• An MSDS must be obtained before or on the first occassion that it is supplied
• The MSDS must be readlily available to any employee or student who could be exposed to the substance

How do I obtain an MSDS?

For most substances the simplest way to obtain an MSDS and to ensure it is readily available is to use Chem Alert. Unfortunately, there are some substances that do not exist in Chem Alert, in which case they can be obtained from the manufacturer.

It is the responsibility of the manufacturer to provide Material Safety Data Sheets for the hazardous substances they supply.  Hence you can contact them directly to obtain an MSDS.

By obtaining your chemicals according to the University's chemical purchasing requirements enables EduSafe to ensure the relevant MSDS is available through Chem Alert.