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by John M. Wallace, Environmental Health Manager II

On July 1, Medical University faculty, staff, and students will find a new way in which they can retrieve Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS). The Division of Occupational Safety Health (OSH) has been working on locating a new source for meeting our requirements of Hazardous Communication and MSDS.

The new system has many advances over our current system and will provide the most up-to-date information available. Those advances are one million plus MSDS in a searchable data base verse only 60,000 with the old system. Personnel will also be able to research manufacturer's sites for MSDS and gain access to government and non-government home pages which the older system would not allow.

The new MSDS company and its systems have been on line since 1992. Occupational Safety Health ran numerous tests on the system to insure accuracy and dependability. Like any electronic system, failures can happen. When such a problem does occur MUSC personnel should revert back to hard copies of MSDS for any chemical information that is needed. All areas that use chemicals should keep hard copies of MSDS in their work areas for this purpose.

The new MSDS system will be accessed in the same way as our old system, through our home page.

The Division of Occupational Safety Health feels this MSDS system will enhance everyone’s ability to retrieve information which is needed to make work environments safer and allow other outside resources to interact with university resources.

The web address for the new MSDS system is <http://www.Msdssearch.Com/>

Any questions about the site or requirements dealing with MSDS can be forwarded to OSH at 792-3604.