Citation

Phillips CC, Wallace BC, Hamilton CB, Pursley RT, Petty GC, Bayne CK. J. Saf. Res. 1999; 30(2): 113-122.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1999, U.S. National Safety Council, Publisher Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This study quantified how well the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) diffused information to workers, compared the efficacy of an OSHA type form with the Chemical Manufacturer's Association/American National Standards Institute (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 testing were used to gather data from 160 union workers employed at the national laboratory. Most of the workers in the sample population studied reported favorably on MSDS acceptability, accessibility, and understanding. All three formats significantly diffused information to workers, although approximately one third of the information was not absorbed. The rank order of finish between the three different formats was ICSC, OSHA type format; and CMA/ANSI Z400.1 respectively; however, there were no significant differences in scores. There were significant differences in how well each format answered specific test questions.