Chemicals
359 results
7 Ways to Stay OSHA and EPA Compliant when Compliance Doesn’t Come Easy
Staying compliant with OSHA and the EPA can be difficult and maddening. Still, the complexity of agency regulations and the opaque manner in which rules are sometimes published and enforced are not a reliable defense when it comes to compliance violations. Organizations must take responsibility for understanding the rules and regulations under which they operate. […]
5 Great Questions About GHS and OSHA
VelocityEHS hosted a recent Webinar on the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) and the participants had a number of great questions. Considering how we’re all in this together, we wanted to share a few of the questions and answers with you. Is the red border around the pictograms required? Is […]
Does OSHA Really Require Employers to Keep SDSs and MSDSs for 30 Years?
Note: This blog was updated on September 20, 2024 to provide additional clarification. The short answer is: “No, not quite.” Many EHS professionals don’t realize that the “30-year” requirement is not actually in the HazCom standard. It’s found in a different standard, 1910.1020 on “Access to Employee Exposure and Medical Records.” A careful reading of […]
4 Easy Steps to Avoiding OSHA Hazard Communication Standard Fines
OSHA recently announced heavy fines against a Wisconsin company for 1) failure to develop or implement a hazard communication program and 2) failure to maintain material safety data information. There were fines for other failures; yet the two mentioned above are especially notable as they rank third on OSHA’s top 10 list of most frequently […]
Benefits of Social Networking to EH&S, OSHA Compliance, Injury & Illness Recordkeeping and MSDS Management
Recent studies on the influences and benefits of social networks suggest that an establishment looking to improve employee health and safety as well as workplace efficiencies would be wise to respect and harness the power of social networks. For all the reasons a hospital or construction company might choose to manage their MSDSs online, the […]
Not Making MSDS Available Burns Employee, Employer and OSHA
In a story by Kelly Holleran, the Southeast Texas Record reported that a Beaumont, Texas man is suing ExxonMobil for not adequately warning him about the significant levels of a caustic substance present in a drain line he was working on. According to the article, the employee was told of “possible caustic residue” in the […]
MSDS information for Oil Spill Dispersants Corexit 9500 and Corexit 9527 and Safety Info from EPA, CDC, & OSHA
We have noticed a significant number of searches on our database for MSDS information related to Nalco products Corexit 9500 and Corexit 9527, the two dispersants being used in the oil spill cleanup effort. As a public service, and in an effort to assist the EPA in making MSDS information about these two dispersants more […]
Are MSDSs Required for Consumer Chemical Products?
Just back from the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) show in San Antonio. Great show and thanks to all that stopped by our booth. A number of people at the show asked me if material safety data sheets (MSDSs) are required for consumer products like Windex or Lysol? This is a common question we […]
Perspective and Priority: Wellness vs. Health & Safety
In a post titled “The 8 Top Corporate Wellness Programs“, Konstantin Koss comments that “Health Risk Assessment (HRA)”…is used to ” determine the safety and health concerns of workers by assessing the appropriateness of the facilities and equipment against the needs of the employees.” In our experience, this statement blurs the facts and may overstate […]