ABSTRACT
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) established the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) as the method for the chemical manufacturer, importer, or distributor to inform the downstream user of all potential hazards associated with the chemical. The Hazard Communication Standard, however, also cross-references the American National Standards Institute "Standard on Industrial Labels." The purpose of the revisions was to harmonize the United States regulations with the United Nations Dangerous Goods Shipping Regulations, generally used throughout the world. Thus, OSHA allowed the use of a wide variety of in-house labels. Many of these labels were derived from the “Hazardous Material Information System” labels. Perhaps the most significant difference, however, is that Canadian law requires that warning labels and MSDSs be available in the workplace in both English and French. Finally, the label refers the end-user to the MSDS and gives the chemical manufacturer's name, address, and telephone number.
