For the full benefits of GHS implementation to be realized, efficient management of SDS is required. On the new GHS-compliant SDS, hazardous chemicals are classified under revised rules. The format has also been updated to 16 sections, which in some cases nearly doubles the number of pages from the original MSDS. With the sudden influx of new SDS, companies must have an efficient strategy to manage these hundreds, perhaps thousands, of pages.
To better paint a picture of the challenges faced when managing (M)SDS, I interviewed my colleague, Jessica, who is a chemist with extensive experience working in chemical manufacturing plants.
CL: Jessica, thanks for taking the time to speak with me today. I understand that prior to coming to Quantum you worked in a couple of chemical-manufacturing plants. Could you tell me a bit about the challenges you faced working with hazardous chemicals?
JV: My pleasure, Chris. One of the biggest challenges in working with hazardous chemicals was properly communicating safe usage. When I was working in the plants, MSDSs were still being used. I recall that one of the companies I was at kept a filing cabinet with printed MSDSs. I found this system extremely inefficient.
CL: How so?
JV: MSDSs communicate chemical hazards. These files need to be easily accessible, especially in case of accidents, spills, or unforeseen circumstances.
CL: So I take it that organizing the MSDSs in a filing cabinet didn’t make them very accessible?
JV: I’ll let you be the judge. Each time I needed an MSDS, several steps had to be taken. I’d have to put down what I was working on at the time and put on Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Then I’d have to trek across the plant, facing many potentially hazardous situations, to get to the office where the MSDS filing cabinet was located. Locating the exact sheet I needed was never an easy task. With so many MSDSs, it was difficult to maintain organization. Once I did find the MSDS, I’d have to make a copy of it, as we had to keep the original in the filing cabinet. Finally, with the copied MSDS in hand, I’d once again make the journey back to my lab across the plant.
CL: A lot of time must have been invested just to obtain the MSDS you needed.
JV: Yes! A lot of time! From the company’s standpoint, the time I spent obtaining the MSDS could have been better spent on formulating new products. Not only was there a cost to the time spent getting the MSDS, imagine if something happened on my trek to the MSDS filing cabinet. This would add additional cost to the company in the form of regulatory fines and worker’s compensation. Luckily I was never injured on one of these journeys.
CL: From your experience, what would you do to improve the situation?
JV: Another company that I was at before joining Quantum, had all their MSDSs loaded into a computer system. This system was seamlessly integrated between multiple locations and accessible by many users. I recall an instance where we had a chemical spill in the lab. I immediately accessed the system and within seconds knew the best course of action to respond to the chemical spill. This would not have been possible using a paper-based MSDS management system.
CL: Talk about a well-oiled machine! It’s amazing what kind of experiences you’ve been through. Quantum’s extremely lucky to have you on the team. Do you have any additional advice for us today?
JV: HazCom has come a long way and will continue to improve with the alignment to GHS. Now that we are past the conversion deadline, companies need to make sure they are on top of managing their new SDSs. Paper-based systems and spreadsheets are not the most efficient or effective. Our very own cloud-based SDS management software may be the perfect solution for companies looking to save on cost![/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
