Safety Data Sheet Management: 4 Basic Tips for Using an SDS Library
Working with hazardous materials requires you to take a large handful of precautions. One of the most important is safety data sheet management.
To elaborate, it’s essential for you to organize this type of document and ensure that it is accessible to your employees. This also involves using an SDS library.
Let’s explore key information that can help you do so more effectively.
1. Always Ensure OSHA Compliance
Above all else, you’ll need to ensure that you maintain OSHA compliance within your safety data sheet library. In fact, this is one of the core components of establishing a safety data sheet management system. Interestingly, many people are relatively lax when it comes to how often they update themselves on OSHA regulations.
The truth is that this organization changes its standards on a regular basis. Unfortunately, ignorance of the imposed regulations does not absolve you from blame if something were to go wrong. So, ensure that you maintain a strong awareness of what you are required to include on your safety data sheets.
2. Use the Correct Formatting
A safety data sheet is all but useless if you do not format it correctly This is simply due to the fact that you are unlikely to include all of the necessary information. As previously mentioned, OSHA standards will dictate the mandatory sections that you include on your safety data sheet.
This will involve displaying information about hazard identification, toxicological information, chemical properties, etc. To ensure that you don’t breach any guidelines, consult OSHA standards before creating this form.
3. Properly Train Your Team
If your team does not know how to read these documents, serious issues could occur.
For example, some chemicals cannot be stored in close proximity to each other. Doing so could cause a chemical reaction that damages property or causes injury. Your team should have a comprehensive understanding of how to read each section of the safety data sheet.
Otherwise, you may find yourself struggling to overcome problems that arise.
4. Maintain Accessibility
Proper accessibility is critical if you want to maximize the effectiveness of your safety data sheets. This means that you need to go out of your way to ensure that your team fully understands where this information is located and how they can access it.
Under most circumstances, it’s a relatively straightforward process that can often be achieved in a single training session. Of course, you should always be transparent with your team if anything about the access to this information changes (such as you relocating it to a cloud-based server).
Properly Managing Your SDS Library Is Crucial
Otherwise, you run the risk of encountering a large number of complications. In some instances, you may even experience legal consequences. The guide above about SDS library management will help ensure that you stay on the right track and avoid obstacles as you move forward.
Want to learn more about what we have to offer? Feel free to get in touch with us today and see how we can help.