Hazard Communication
Employees who work with hazardous chemicals outside a laboratory setting must receive Hazard Communication training as required by OSHA. Supervisors are encouraged to provide site-specific training that covers the unique chemical hazards that may be encountered by their staff. Contact EH&S for assistance.
The Hazard Communication Plan details the requirements of the OSHA Hazard Communication Standard, and are summarized below.
- Assign staff to assure compliance with the standard
- Prepare and submit an inventory of hazardous chemicals
- Ensure all chemical containers are labeled
- Obtain a safety data sheet for each chemical
- Make safety data sheets available to employees
Conduct and document training of employees
Safety Data Sheets (SDS)
The Hazard Communication Plan and Laboratory Safety standards require that Iowa State University make Safety Data Sheets (SDSs) accessible to employees at all times. Because computer power loss or breakdown may not always allow SDSs to be obtained online, EH&S recommends that each department maintain paper copies of SDSs to ensure continuous compliance.
SDS Information and Glossary of Terms:
SDS Information and Glossary -This document describes the information that can be found on SDSs and provides a glossary of terms that may be used on SDSs.
Online SDS by Manufacturer
- JT Baker and Macron
- Fisher Scientific
- Sigma-Aldrich (including Fluka, Supelco, and Riedel-deHaen)
- Infectious Agent/Pathogen