OSHA does not certify material safety data sheets

October 4, 1990

Walter W. Allshouse, President
Supersonic Sales
Division of Massillon Supersonic
[Recipient address omitted]
Dear Mr. Allshouse:

Thank you for your letter of August 21, concerning the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) Hazard Communication Standard (HCS), 29 CFR 1910.1200. You requested a review of your company's Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs) for the three Superview products: methanol, windshield washer concentrate, and windshield washer solvent.

The OSHA does not review, approve, or certify MSDSs. The HCS is a performance-oriented standard, which gives the chemical manufacturer or importer the responsibility to obtain or develop MSDSs in English that meet the following criteria and contain at least the following information: the specific identity of the hazardous chemical(s) and the common name(s); the physical and chemical characteristics of the hazardous chemical; known acute and chronic health effects and related health information; exposure limits; whether the chemical is considered to be a carcinogen by the National Toxicology Program (NTP), the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), or OSHA; emergency and first-aid party procedures; precautionary measures; and the identification of the party responsible for preparing the sheet. Specific requirements are set forth in the HCS at Section (g) and Appendices A and B.

OSHA MSDS form (OSHA 174) is not a mandatory form, but may be used to comply with the HCS as long as the MSDS contains at least the above cited information. All spaces on the MSDS must be completed so the reader will know that an item has not been inadvertently omitted.

We hope the above information will assist you in your HCS compliance activities. If you would like to obtain a copy of the OSHA 174 or if further assistance is needed, you may want to contact OSHA's Regional Office in Chicago at the following address and telephone number:

U.S. Department of Labor - OSHA
230 South Dearborn Street, Room 3244
Chicago, Illinois 60604
Telephone: (312) 353-2220

If we can be of further assistance to you, please feel free to contact us.

Sincerely,
Patricia K. Clark
Director Designate
Directorate of Compliance Programs

[Requester letter reproduced on OSHA page; omitted here.]