On Paper: Three-ring
binders or file cabinets.
The
"traditional" method. |
| Advantages |
Disadvantages |
Acquiring
Relevant MSDS |
Maintaining
MSDS's |
Potential
Problems |
| Familiar.
No particular expertise needed. Since MSDS are received with a
purchase of product, you know you have the MSDS associated with
materials in your facility. You know the MSDS in your files
are the one's you need.
You have control over the MSDS you have on file.
|
Especially
if you have many departments, this method requires copying MSDS for
distribution and manually replacing them in all
"right-to-know" stations. MSDS must be carefully
alphabetized. Slow finding documents. Data about how
many materials, where they are located in the plant, and other
reports not easily available. |
Generally
you will receive new MSDS with each product purchase or delivery. |
Acquire
MSDS from Purchasing or Receiving. Find the "old"
MSDS, compare with what's in the binder with the new MSDS.
Newer? Replace the old one (in all the binder stations around
the facility) and file the old one in an archive.
Should maintain an index for easy reference
and verifying that you have the MSDS for the materials you have.
|
As
with any management method, you must keep up with the new materials
and MSDS that come in. If you don't you may not be able to
locate an MSDS when you need it. |
|
On-site
software, single user or network.
Install
the software on your computer system, enter your MSDS data and scan
your MSDS. This is really a direct
replacement of binder & file cabinet methods, with all the
advantages of those but adding speed and ease of management and
eliminating distribution hassles. back to top
|
| Advantages |
Disadvantages |
Acquiring
Relevant MSDS |
Maintaining
MSDS's |
Potential
Problems |
| Since MSDS
are received with a purchase of product, you know you have the MSDS
associated with materials in your facility.
You have control; over the
MSDS you have on file.
You know the MSDS in your computer system are the
one's you need. No need to search the internet for relevant
MSDS. Generally no downstream costs for subscriptions, etc.
Simple to use. Fast
lookup. Network-wide access to MSDS. Print
reports on what MSDS you have for easy referencing to materials you
have. Print reports on where the materials are in the facility
(if software supports that). Print MSDS any time (print whole
volumes by department, if needed, if software supports that). One-time
cost (unless there are upgrade fees) |
Must
have a computer, and if you want to give your whole facility access
to the database and images, must have a computer network, otherwise
print MSDS by department (if software has that feature). |
Generally you
will receive new MSDS with each product purchase or
delivery. Acquire MSDS from Purchasing or Receiving. |
In the
software lookup the "old" MSDS; compare the dates.
If newer scan the new one and click the "archive" button
to archive the older one. If you're running on a network, all
workstations are automatically "updated."
If you scanned in a
"new" MSDS, put the original in an "emergency"
file just in case your computer system is unavailable. |
As with any
management method, you must keep up with the new materials and MSDS
that come in. If you don't you may not be able to locate an
MSDS when you need it. |
Internet MSDS
sources. Search
the internet for a particular MSDS, or subscribe to a search engine
service through which you'll search for a particular MSDS.
back
to top |
| Advantages |
Disadvantages |
Acquiring
MSDS |
Maintaining
MSDS's |
Potential
Problems |
| Access
to some manufacturers' latest MSDS documents (if they are posted on
the internet, and if your MSDS provider has them in their system). |
Must
have a computer, and if you want to give your whole facility access
to the database and images, must have a computer network.
Must be connected to the
internet. May need to subscribe to a service to have
access to a variety of sources. The manufacturer of the
materials in your facility must have all their products (including
yours) posted on the internet.
On-going subscription fees.
The "latest" MSDS
available from the internet may not be pertinent to what you have in
your facility.
No certainty as to when an
MSDS you've downloaded to your computer is the latest -- or even
relevant to you materials -- must find it on the internet again and
compare issue dates (or check the MSDS that come from your
purchasing or receiving departments) |
Must
search for the MSDS you need -- It may not be on the internet.
You may need to settle for a "generic", or
"similar" product may not be suitable for OSHA inspectors,
a hospital treating a victim, or lawyers in any future legal action. |
When
new products come into your plant, search the internet for their
MSDS to be sure you have the relevant documents. Download
those.
Print all the MSDS
associated with materials in your facility and maintain an
"emergency" hardcopy in file cabinet or three-ring
binder. Call manufacturers or otherwise get copies of MSDS
that are not available from your internet source, and put those in
your emergency file, also. Copy these for distribution to
right-to-know stations if not available on your computer system. |
As with any
management method, you must keep up with the new materials that come
in. You may have materials in your plant that are not in your
MSDS provider's library. In that event, you still need to get
an MSDS from the manufacturer for your "binder". Now
you have a hybrid system -- part on the computer, part on paper. |
|
CD-ROM Library.
Subscribe
to a periodically-updated library of general, typical MSDS
back to top
|
| Advantages |
Disadvantages |
Acquiring
MSDS |
Maintaining
MSDS's |
Potential
Problems |
| Simple
to use. Most people who operate computers know how to put in a
CD. A lot of generic MSDS if you have simple, basic common
commercial consumer products. |
Must
have a computer. And if you want to give your whole facility
access to the database and images, must have a computer network with
source CD in the CD player on a server, and available.
On-going subscription fees.
The manufacturer of the
materials in your facility must have all their products (including
yours) posted on the internet.
The "latest" MSDS
available on the CD may not be pertinent to what you have in your
facility.
No certainty as to when an
MSDS you've received on a CD is the latest -- or even relevant to
your materials -- must find it on the new CD and compare issue
dates, or call the manufacturer, or check the MSDS that come from
your purchasing or receiving departments. |
Must
search the CD's database for the document you need, and hope it is
on it. You may need to settle for a "generic",
or "similar" product may not be suitable for OSHA
inspectors, a hospital treating a victim, or lawyers in any future
legal action. |
Acquire
an updated MSDS CD, but must keep the old ones in case the products
in your facility are not the newest.
Print all the MSDS
associated with materials in your facility and maintain an
"emergency" hardcopy in file cabinet or three-ring binder. |
You may have
materials in your plant that are not in your MSDS provider's
library. In that event, you still need to get an MSDS from the
manufacturer for your "binder". Now you have a
hybrid system -- part on the computer, part on paper. Where's
the MSDS? On the disk or in the binder? |
