Top » What hazard determination procedures are there for obtaining product data which is provided on the OSHA MSDS?

Published by Jeff Burns on 13.10.2009 in and previewed 37 times


To classify a hazardous chemical under OSHA standards, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has made a set of regulations which states the type of criteria necessary for testing and evaluation of chemicals. These regulations are stated in Appendix B of the OSHA Hazard Communication Standard (HCS), 29 CFR 1910.1200. The criteria used for making the hazard determinations in regards to OSHA MSDS statements are as follows:

1. Carcinogenicity: As described in paragraph (d)(4) and Appendix A of the 29 CFR 1900.1200, a determination by the National Toxicology Program, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, or OSHA that a chemical is a carcinogen or potential carcinogen will be considered conclusive evidence for purposes of this section. In addition, however, all available scientific data on carcinogenicity must be evaluated in accordance with the provisions of this Appendix and the requirements of the rule.

2. Human data: Where available, epidemiological studies and case reports of adverse health effects shall be considered in the evaluation.

3. Animal data: Human evidence of health effects in exposed populations is generally not available for the majority of chemicals produced or used in the workplace. Therefore, the available results of toxicological testing in animal populations shall be used to predict the health effects that may be experienced by exposed workers. In particular, the definitions of certain acute hazards refer to specific animal testing results.

4. Adequacy and reporting of data: The results of any studies which are designed and conducted according to established scientific principles, and which report statistically significant conclusions regarding the health effects of a chemical shall be a sufficient basis for a hazard determination and reported on any OSHA MSDS. In vitro studies alone generally do not form the basis for a definitive finding of hazard under the HCS since they have a positive or negative result rather than a statistically significant finding.

The chemical manufacturer, importer, or employer may also report the results of other scientifically valid studies which tend to refute the findings of hazard.

About Author

Jeff Burns writes for Nexreg Compliance Inc., a company that provides OSHA MSDS authoring and MSDS services.

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