A Public Service Announcement

[nutdog]

My company manufactures and sells chemicals. I recently provided a product that I don't usually sell to a company, but they needed it, they're a good customer and they asked for it so I provided it at no cost.

A few weeks later a get a call from an angry person in the environmental department that was very upset because I had furnished a product that was not on the approved product list. They needed an MSDS immediately.

The product? A bag of gravel. I told them I didn't think there was an MSDS for gravel, but to my surprise, they do exist, and also for sand.

What I didn't know is sand is very hazardous. Then it occurred to me that millions of people come into contact with sand and gravel everyday and don't know about the hazards.

You see, silica dissolves readily in hydrofluoric acid producing a corrosive gas – silicon tetrafluoride. So, next time you're at the beach, please, please, please, don't bring that bottle of hydrofluoric acid.

Please forward this info to as many people as possible. Lives are at stake. And next time you see an environmental engineer, say thanks.

[Jonyak]

Lol, the msds guys can get pretty hardcore sometimes.

I believe we have msds for distilled water we have at the lab.

[eyeballkid]

OMG! I CANT FIND THE SHEET FOR INTERNET USAGE!! WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!

[Phalex]

Originally Posted by Jonyak

Lol, the msds guys can get pretty hardcore sometimes.

I believe we have msds for distilled water we have at the lab.

Lemme guess.....

Low flammability and high inhalation toxicity?


What do you flush your eyes with if you should get some water splashed in your face?

[Jonyak]

Originally Posted by eyeballkid

OMG! I CANT FIND THE SHEET FOR INTERNET USAGE!! WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!

may cause wrist strain in males....

[Pacman]

Having dealt with MSDS in the military, I can really appreciate this.

Did you know valve oil is a hazardous substance?

[Jonyak]

Originally Posted by Phalex

Lemme guess.....

Low flammability and high inhalation toxicity?


What do you flush your eyes with if you should get some water splashed in your face?

We have a saline eyewash station, and guess what, we also have an msds for it.

We do deal with some chemicals that can be dangerous as well though.

[i_got_a_mohawk]

Yup, have to deal with a pile of those on a regular basis, they are a bit OTT.

However, I'll remember not to take any HF to the beach with me!

[Bting]

OP

Thanks man, your a life saver.

My wife and I are going on a trip to stay in a Beachside cabana for 2 weeks in belize and I'm laying out stuff to pack.

The old suitcase is getting pretty full, and I was trying to decide between HydrFluoric acid and a set of snorkle gear.

I guess Ill take the fins.

Sheesh that is crazy. Talk about OCD, and needing to see all i's dotted and t's crossed before you can sleep at night.

[stratovani]

This is what our society has come to, there has to be a warning label or a MSDS for everything, thanks to battalions of lawyers out there. There's probably a MSDS for the air we breathe!

[Floyd Eye]

Originally Posted by stratovani

There's probably a MSDS for the air we breathe!

There probably should be.

[Phalex]

Originally Posted by stratovani

This is what our society has come to, there has to be a warning label or a MSDS for everything, thanks to battalions of lawyers out there. There's probably a MSDS for the air we breathe!

Oxygen is an oxidizer you know.........

[PSPookie]

Originally Posted by Pacman

Having dealt with MSDS in the military, I can really appreciate this.

Did you know valve oil is a hazardous substance?

No, but hydraulic fluid will mess you up.

[burk48237]

Originally Posted by PSPookie

No, but hydraulic fluid will mess you up.

Yeah, I've cut down, I use to drink it regularly. But thanks to an MSDS I now know that Hydraulic fluid mixed with anti-freeze is not a good substitute for Soda water.

The sad thing about this is how many jobs and how much productivity this kind of stuff cost the American people. I started a part time retail job last fall. The only chemical of any consequence I handle is securely packaged gun powder for reloading. But I had to take six hours of classes on proceeders for handling hazardous chemicals. While the knowledge was nice to have that's half a weeks payroll for me on that job doing something unrelated to my job just to please the Lawyers.

Every-time, you buy something or get lousy service at a big retail store just remember that you're paying for hazardous chemical training for the staff and the accompanying paperwork compliance. All those costs are passed on to consumers.

[i_got_a_mohawk]

Not that way over here, thankfully! The only safety stuff I've had to do is for working with lasers, handling large gas cylinders (basically manual handling and how not to blow yourself up) and working with HF.

For anything else, you need to have an up to date risk assessment form and the related MSDS, COSHH forms stored in the workspace and read over. Certainly no need to go on courses for it. And we have a fairly large folder of hazard forms!

[BurningSkies]

Originally Posted by burk48237

Yeah, I've cut down, I use to drink it regularly. But thanks to an MSDS I now know that Hydraulic fluid mixed with anti-freeze is not a good substitute for Soda water.

The sad thing about this is how many jobs and how much productivity this kind of stuff cost the American people. I started a part time retail job last fall. The only chemical of any consequence I handle is securely packaged gun powder for reloading. But I had to take six hours of classes on proceeders for handling hazardous chemicals. While the knowledge was nice to have that's half a weeks payroll for me on that job doing something unrelated to my job just to please the Lawyers.

Every-time, you buy something or get lousy service at a big retail store just remember that you're paying for hazardous chemical training for the staff and the accompanying paperwork compliance. All those costs are passed on to consumers.

I'm pretty sure that those big retail companies can take the hit at 4 hours x barely minimum wage to train their employees not to drink Windex although it is an attractive blue color, and that its not really effecting their retail floor hours.

I've worked management at one of those places and none of the part time or full time retail employees are trained in that stuff anyway, since all cleaning duties are subcontracted to a company that employs other barely minimum wage employees that have gone through the half day training.

[Sketchy]

Had to do a risk assessment form for final year university project...

Admittedly though, a 50kg, 30m long pendulum could cause a lot of damage if it breaks...

[bassteban]

Originally Posted by Phalex

What do you flush your eyes with if you should get some water splashed in your face?

I use dirt, or if at the cabinet shop, sawdust. Ideally something semi-toxic, to counteract water's inherent mildness.

[i_got_a_mohawk]

Originally Posted by Sketchy

Had to do a risk assessment form for final year university project...

Admittedly though, a 50kg, 30m long pendulum could cause a lot of damage if it breaks...

Was your final year project to make a really big clock?

Our ones are to reduce fires, blinding and cancers, we have some awesome warning stickers on the lab doors!

[nutdog]

There are a few hazards that aren't mentioned:

• Contact with high velocity airborne gravel
• High pressure foot contact with gravel
• Bare skin contact with sand exposed to large quantities of solar radiation
• Contact with sand during carnal activities (and reactivity in the presence of saline solutions)