The efficacy of material safety data sheets and worker acceptability

This study quantified how well the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) diffus ed information to workers, compared the efficacy of an OSHA type form with the Chemical Manufacturer's Association/American National Standards Institu te (CMA/ANSI Z400.1) structure and the International Chemical Safety Card ( ICSC), and determined worker acceptability and understanding of MSDSs at a large national laboratory. An inventory questionnaire and quantitative test ing were used to gather data from 160 union workers employed at the nationa l laboratory Most of the workers in the sample population studied reported favorably on MSDS acceptability, accessibility, and understanding. All thre e formats significantly diffused information to workers, although approxima tely one third of the information was not absorbed. The rank order of finis h between the three different formats was ICSC, OSHA type format; and CMA/A NSI Z400.1 respectively; however, there were no significant differences in scores. There were significant differences in how well each format answered specific test questions. (C) 1999 National Safety Council and Elsevier Sci ence Ltd.