SECTION III. COMMUNICATING THE HAZARDS OF MATERIALS
2.5 Occupational Safety and Health Administration Requirements
A. General Requirements. The OSHA Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) requires evaluation
of the hazards of all chemicals in the workplace and that information concerning the potential hazards
and protective measures are provided to both employers and employees. The HCS generally applies
to any chemical which is a health or physical hazard to which employees may be exposed under
normal use conditions or in a foreseeable emergency. Ensure that the following information is
available for all chemicals stored, handled, or used in the workplace:
1. Copies of any Materials Safety Data Sheets are received and maintained so that employees have
access to the information. This requirement may be met through the use of the DoD Hazardous
Materials Information System (HMIS).
2. Chemical warning labels are affixed to each container and are not removed or defaced.
3. Where hazardous chemicals are packaged, handled, reacted, transferred, or used a written
hazard communication program is required. This written plan should not be complicated, but must
identify how the requirements for labels and other forms of warning, MSDSs, and employee
information and training will be met at a particular location.
B. Both the MSDS and HCS warning label contain substantial information concerning the hazards
of a substance. An example of an MSDS is shown in Figure 2-1. Specific manufacturer's MSDS
information is readily available to DoD personnel through the DoD Hazardous Materials Information
System (HMIS). This system distributes the manufacturer's MSDS information in a standardized
format and is based upon the MSDS received from the manufacturer. More details on this system are
provided below.
C. DoD 6050.5, HMIS
1. Title 29, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), part 1910.1200, Hazard Communication, requires
that chemical manufacturers or importers assess the hazards of chemicals they produce or import and
provide this information in the form of MSDSs, labeled products, and other forms of warning. The
Federal Government has implemented this requirement through contractual requirements to its
suppliers. The document which specifies MSDS requirements for government purchases is Federal
Standard 313 (FED-STD-313). With respect to MSDSs, the method used by DoD to comply with this
rule is defined in DoDI 6050.5, DoD Hazard Communication Program.
2. The DoD HMIS was implemented as an automated data base of hazardous materials
information primarily derived from manufacturer MSDSs. Transportation data, hazard warning
labels data, and environmental data have been added to supplement the data base. The system
provides a means of distributing MSDSs on demand without requiring the shipment of hard copies
with the materials. The HMIS is distributed quarterly using Compact Disc-Read Only Memory (CD-
ROM) media and on-line access is planned, to include worldwide web access. Additionally, the
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