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Science DepartmentSaety Training Notes

2012 Flinn Scientic, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Volume 13, No. 2

Revised OSHA RulesThe Right to KnowBecomes the Right to Understand

The Hazard Communication Standard and the Laboratory Standard, commonly reerred to asright-to-know laws, provide the regulatory oundation or awareness o chemical saety in theworkplace, including schools and laboratories. Most teachers today are very amiliar with theprovisions o these regulations, especially how chemical hazard inormation is communicatedon labels and Material Saety Data Sheets (MSDS). Chemical inventory, labeling, MSDS, andtraining requirements transormed how a generation thinks about the physical and chemicalhazards o substances and how to protect themselves against those hazards. In the almost 30years since their implementation these laws helped usher in a culture o chemical saety or

teachers, students, administrators, and the community.

What Is GHS?In March 2012 OSHA published the rst major revision to the Hazard Communication Standardsince its inception. In announcing the revision to incorporate what is known as GHS, OSHAstated that its goal was to transorm the right to know into the right to understand chemicalhazards. GHS stands or the Globally Harmonized System o Classication and Labeling oChemicals. GHS is a document that establishes objective criteria or classiying and identiyingchemical hazards. The overarching goal is to ensure the sae use o chemicals by providingpractical, reliable, and comprehensible inormation on their hazards.

Misunderstandings and misconceptions concerning chemical toxicity provide good examplesor why OSHA decided to adopt GHS. For instance, the news media all too oten describes

chemicals using the adjective toxic. Yet the misunderstanding arises at least in part dueto conficting criteria or describing a chemical as toxic. Various regulatory and advisoryorganizations, such as ANSI, the NFPA, EPA, OSHA and DOT, employ a range o values, rom 50to 500 to 5000 mg/kg, to determine i a substance is harmul based on its acute toxicity or LD

50.

Teacher TrainingPassage o the GHS provisions in March 2012 started a three-year clock or employers andchemical manuacturers to comply with the new requirements. The rst deadline under the lawis December 2013. By this date schools and school districts must provide training or teachersand sta to understand how to read GHS labels and the new Saety Data Sheets (the M inMSDS has been dropped). Over the next three years Flinn Scientic will provide teachers withthe inormation and training needed to meet GHS requirements and improve chemical saety inyour school. Note that chemical manuacturers and distributors have until June 2015 to reclassiy

chemicals and produce GHS-ormatted labels and SDS or all new products. Training precedesimplementation!

GHS Building BlocksGHS depends on a oundation or collection o building blocks to achieve the goals o eectivehazard communication. Classication o chemicals is the starting pointGHS establishes16 physical hazard categories and 10 health hazard categories or chemicals. (There arealso environmental hazard categories, but these are not included in the revised HazardCommunication Standard provisions.) Hazard categories are assigned based on consistent,dened criteria. Within most categories GHS urther distinguishes multiple hazard levels or ranks,with 1 being most severe.

September 2012

Discussion and Notes

Keep a copy o these saetytraining notes and a signed

attendance sheet to veriyregular saety training.

Regulatory inspectors willusually request proo o saetytraining. A copy o the sign-up

sheet that we suggest usingmay be ound at

www.finnsci.com/media/412875/signup.pd.

http://www.flinnsci.com/media/412875/signup.pdfhttp://www.flinnsci.com/media/412875/signup.pdfhttp://www.flinnsci.com/media/412875/signup.pdf

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Discussion and Notes Communicating these hazards is accomplished by means o labels and SDS. There are our mainGHS building blocks: pictograms (graphics or symbols) and signal words both quickly identiyingthe main hazards. Text-based hazard statements and precautionary statements urther describeeach hazard and recommended preventive measures.

Introduction to GHSA Picture Is Worth a Thousand WordsLets begin our GHS training now with the pictograms. These are standard symbols enclosedwithin a red diamond border, and there are eight dierent pictograms or physical and health

hazards o chemicals. With this e-mail we have provided a Flinn Saety Fax publication or thesymbols and their meanings. The choice o whether a pictogram appears on a label will depend onthe objective criteria we alluded to earlier. Thus the skull and bones pictogram or acutely toxicwill be used or chemicals with oral LD

50values less than or equal to 300 mg/kg. For chemicals

having oral LD50

values in the range o 3002000 mg/kg, the exclamation point pictogram willbe used. Dierent signal words and hazard statements will be associated with these pictograms onthe labels and SDS to urther distinguish the hazard level or rank within this hazard category. Thenext time you prepare or lab, take a moment to look at the bottle label or any chemical you areusing. See i you can identiy the GHS pictogram(s) that will be used in the uture to communicateits hazard inormation.

Eective Saety Training rom Flinn Scientifc

Just as you employ a range o dierentiated instruction in your classroom to help your studentsachieve learning objectives, we encourage you to do the same to meet your saety training goals.Eective saety training is comprehensive, ongoing, and scaolded. The ree Flinn ScienticLaboratory Saety Courseis available online or all teachers. Please take advantage o thisopportunity now to become Flinn Saety Certied. We guarantee you and your students willbenet. In the months ahead Flinn Scientic will provide additional training tools, one step at atime, in the orm o ree videos, publications, and saety notes, to help you build knowledge andcondence in your understanding o GHS.

Thank You or Your Support!Please continue to support our eorts to improve saety in school science labs by ordering yourscience supplies and laboratory chemicals rom Flinn Scientic.

Next Months TopicAcid Safety

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