Lewis and Clark College
Policy and Procedure

Subject: Chemical Labeling & Associated Documentation
Policy #:
Division: Business and Finance
Department: Physical Plant Services
Original Effective Date: January 25, 1994
Date(s) Reviewed/Revised:
Approved By:
Approval Date:

Purpose

To establish a safe working and learning environment by ensuring that hazardous chemicals in use have Material Safety Data Sheets on file and that hazardous chemical containers are appropriately labeled as to contents and the hazards associated with their use. To ensure employees are informed of the presence of hazardous chemicals in the work place and to ensure compliance with the "employee right to know" provisions of the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Code.

Policy Statement:

Lewis and Clark College is committed to protecting the safety and health of all employees working with hazardous chemicals. It is recognized that accurate labeling of all containers of hazardous chemicals and the maintenance of current Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS's) are essential elements when informing employees of known chemical hazards.

It is further recognized that the use of chemicals from unlabeled containers or the use of chemicals for which there is no current MSDS in possession poses an unacceptable risk to the safety and health of College employees.

Procedures:

A. Definitions:

1. Articles: Any manufactured item which is formed to a specific shape or design during manufacture, which does not release or otherwise result in exposure to a hazardous chemical under normal conditions of use, and which has end use functions dependent in whole or in part upon its shape or design during end use. Articles are exempt from this policy. Examples of articles: furniture, hand tools, buildings or structures, etc.

2. Chemical Substance: Any element, compound,or mixture of elements or compounds existing as a gas, liquid, or solid and which does not meet the definition of an article. Examples: cleaners, detergents, sealants, paints, paint thinners, laboratory reagents, motor oils, fuels, etc.

3. Chemical Name: The scientific designation of a chemical in accordance with the nomenclature system developed by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) or the Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) rules of nomenclature, or a name which will clearly identify the chemical for the purposes of evaluating known hazards.

4. Trade Name: Any designation or identification such as code name, code number, brand name or generic name used to identify a chemical substance other than by its chemical name.

5. Container: Any bag, barrel, bottle, box, can, cylinder, drum, reaction vessel, storage tank, or the like used to contain a hazardous chemical substance. Pipes, piping systems, engines, fuel tanks, or other operating systems are not considered to be containers.

6. Label: Any written, printed, or graphic material displayed on or affixed to containers of chemicals.

7. Hazard Warnings: Any words, pictures, symbols or color coding or combination thereof appearing on a label or other appropriate form of warning which convey the hazards of chemical substances in the container.

8. Immediate Use: The time period within which a chemical substance will be under the control of and used only by the person who transfers it from a labeled container to an unlabeled container and only within the work shift in which it is transferred.

9. Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS): Written or printed material concerning a chemical substance and its known hazards which is prepared in accordance with OAR 437-155-025.

B. Material Safety Data Sheets:

Any person who orders, purchases or introduces any chemical substance to the campus shall be responsible for ensuring that a current MSDS is held in the work place and that a copy is on file at Physical Plant Services. Department Supervisors, Managers, or Directors who discover chemical substances in use for which there is no MSDS on file shall take the following actions:

• Establish contact (by telephone or by letter) with the manufacturer of the chemical and request a MSDS.
• If MSDS is not received within 2 weeks of initial contact with the manufacturer, notify the College Occupational Health and Safety Officer (Physical Plant Services).

Upon receipt of an MSDS, place the original in a binder that is easily available to all employers on all shifts and forward a copy to the Occupational Health and Safety Officer, Physical Plant Services, L.C. Box 76. The binder and the location in which the MSDS is kept should be appropriately posted so as to allow easy employee recognition and access.

C. Labels:

All containers of chemical substances received on campus must be checked by the recipient department to ensure that a label is affixed or attached and is in readable condition. The label must contain, at a minimum, the following information:

• The chemical name and trade name of the contents.
• Any hazard warnings appropriate to the contents (toxicity, flammability, reactivity, or storage incompatibility with other chemicals).
• The name and address of the manufacturer.

Recipient departments will take care not to deface or remove the labels of original containers.

When chemical substances are transferred from original containers to secondary containers, labels for the secondary containers are required if:

• The substance transferred is for other than immediate use (see definition).
• The substance so transferred is for the use of someone other than the employee performing the transfer.
• The substance so transferred will be placed in storage for a length of time exceeding one work shift.

The labeling of primary or secondary containers may be accomplished by any of the following means:

• Attaching a photocopy of the original container's label (reduced in size if necessary) to the container.
• Attaching a National Fire Prevention Association diamond (NFPA 704) or equivalent with hazard code information filled in.
• Attaching a handwritten label having information equivalent to either of the above.