Summary
● The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) mission is to prevent work-related ill- nesses, injuries, and death by issuing and enforcing workplace safety and health standards.
● OSHA accomplishes its mission by making and enforcing certain standards needed to protect workers.
● OSHA requires a material safety data sheet (MSDS) be supplied when a chemical or hazardous substance is purchased.
● MSDS provides information on a hazardous material product identifying its dangers and the precautions to be taken while using it.
● The Department of Transportation (DOT) was given broad authority to regulate hazardous materials if transported by Congress in 1966.
● DOT broke hazardous materials into nine categories based on chemical and physical properties.
● DOT identified appropriate packaging materials for shipping or transport of hazardous materials.
● Packing groups are used to indicate the degree of risk a hazardous material may pose when in transport.
● In every workspace with hazardous materials, someone is responsible for the hazards of each chemical present.
● Chemicals that are generally considered to be non- threatening could be hazardous if two chemicals react during a spill.
● There are proper methods for storage of chemicals in the workspace.
● All flammable and combustible liquids should be stored in metal containers in a flammable storage cabinet.
● Federal law strictly regulates the disposal of most hazardous materials.
● Federal law also requires any facility to reduce the amount of hazardous waste generated.