What information must be disclosed in an OSHA MSDS?

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) all hazardous chemicals within the United States must have an associated MSDS. There is no mandatory format for the OSHA MSDS, it does however require specific information to be present. This information is stated in the OSHA Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) 1910.1200, which is as follows:

1. The chemical’s identity as stated on the product label
2. Physical and chemical characteristics
3. Physical hazards, including fire, explosion and reactivity potential
4. Health hazards
5. The primary route(s) of entry into the body
6. Exposure limit values
7. If listed on the National Toxicology Program (NTP) Annual Report On Carcinogens or International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) Monographs as a potential carcinogen
8. Precautions for safe handling and procedures for clean-up of spills and leaks
9. Control measures including engineering controls, work practices, and personal protective equipment
10. Emergency and first add procedures
11. Preparation date of OSHA MSDS
12. Name, address and telephone number of chemical manufacturer

There is a suggested eight section OSHA MSDS format in the OSHA Form 174, which does not necessarily have to be followed as long as the required information is present within the document. In fact the ANSI format, which contains sixteen specific sections, is now becoming more widely used for OSHA standards.