Safety / MSD sheets part 2

I was glad to see some responses on the previous thread about MSD sheets. I'm especially glad to see that people carry MSD sheets in their trucks. Everyone really needs to have them. Getting fined is certainly a bad day.

The point I wanted to raise about MSD sheets, though, was about your personal safety and how you can find out what it is you are exposed to.

The other point is that a lot of manufacturers list nothing in the hazardous section (and that is really too bad) because you do have a right to know. When you look at an MSD sheet in the hazardous section besde the chemical name you will see a CAS#. This stands for Chemical Abstract Service. There are over 100,000 synthetic chemicals today. Each one has a unique number. There is a US based organization known as the Environmental Defense League and they have set up a website known as SCORECARD. This website allows anyone to see for themselves what the known or suspected health effects are of any certain chemical. They have over 11,000 now and the list is growing.

The exact website is: www.scorecard.org/chemical-profiles/

Simply enter the CAS # of the chemical and push GO. Scroll down and you will see all of the known or suspected health effects of that particular chemical.

As you look at this information, please remember that what I said in my previous post relates to "low level long term chemical exposure. So go ahead, get out your MSD sheets and start to look. You should find it very interesting 

To put this in perspective - if you go a supplier like Kleen Kuip and purchase a product like Bleach then they must supply you with a proper MSD sheet etc.

There are some issues that must be applied and followed when you ship or transport bleach.

Now you go to your favorite grocery store, walk down the cleaning isle and you can pick up bleach as well as ammonia. Did you know that 70 people a year die in North America from mixing bleach and ammonia.

I know that sometimes these BB can be fun but i do beleive this is a serious issue.

One of the easiest things anyone in this business can do is to stop using sray bottles for their spotters. Use bottles that control the flow in a more solid stream. This will help minimize atomization and the stuff you breathe in.

The law in this country states that any employee or employer should ensure that an employee or agent who handles hazardous materials should be WHMIS trained.

That basically means that all carpet cleaners should have a working knowledge of WHMIS.