JIMV062@AOL.COM on tue 23 may 00
A couple of weeks ago i read an article on "On line MSDS Information"...!
Since i knew that i would be needing this information, it was filed away in
a safe place .. Now, I need it and the place proves to be far too safe..!!!!
Can someone out there help me.. I thought i read it in Clay TImes but
cannot find it now...Many thanks... Jim
Frank Gaydos on tue 23 may 00
Here is the address Jim,
http://www.msdsonline.com/
----- Original Message -----
Subject: Re: MSDS
> A couple of weeks ago i read an article on "On line MSDS Information"...!
> Since i knew that i would be needing this information, it was filed away
in
> a safe place .. Now, I need it and the place proves to be far too
safe..!!!!
> Can someone out there help me.. I thought i read it in Clay TImes but
> cannot find it now...Many thanks... Jim
>
>
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NotnowS@AOL.COM on thu 25 may 00
Jim,
I'm not sure of the article you read but a site I've found to be very
helpful is Cornell University's M. S. D. S. index. It has 325,000 files to
view. We should all be as familiar as possible with these. They may not be
exciting to read but they'll keep you alive to play in the mud longer. Take
care, Claude
http://msds.pdc.cornell.edu/msdssrch.asp
Cindi Anderson on sun 17 aug 03
Part of a private email of mine was posted on ClayArt, so I would like =
to expand on the part that was missing. =20
The MSDS documents by manufacturers (at least in this industry) are very =
poor in terms of revision control. Most manufacturers do not even have =
revisions on the documents, and even if they did there is no way to know =
if you have the latest revision. Some of the largest manufacturers =
provide multi page documents, where page 2 and 3 don't even mention the =
product / chemical that they belong to. So there is no way to know if =
the pile of papers you got is mixed up, and you might be combining page =
2 from one chemical with page 1 from another. If you have ever worked =
with revision control in industry, you know that it has to be very =
robust or people end up relying on out of date information. =20
I believe a master internet database is the only real solution to =
ensuring accurate MSDS's. But until then I believe that if you need an =
MSDS, it makes sense to get it directly from the manufacturer (not your =
local suppliers) where hopefully the manufacturer can assure that you =
are getting the latest and most accurate version. I know this contrasts =
with what some ClayArt members have said before, that their suppliers =
should supply this information with every shipment. But truly there is =
no system in place to ensure accuracy, and I do not believe it is wise =
to trust what a given supplier might happen to have in his files.
Cindi
Fremont, CA
Mert & Holly Kilpatrick on mon 18 aug 03
I agree with Cindy's comment below - several times employees at our supplier
have gotten annoyed when we asked for MSDS forms, and the forms we got were
clearly out of date. One time we got an MSDS from a Canadian company, when
the product came from Australia!
Someone else mentioned that the MSDS forms don't tell you what you really
want to know anyway. Working for a major specialty chemical manufacturer, I
can tell you that compliance is one of our biggest expenses and one of the
biggest factors driving our prices. In terms of compliance, we have
numerous positions at good salaries whose responsibility it is to understand
the requirements of the various agencies, and how to be in compliance, not
to mention numerous other positions and parts of positions carrying out the
required activities and paperwork. The last thing we want is to fail an
inspection when one of the alphabet soup agencies comes to call. Heads
roll, careers are damaged. Our focus is to determine exactly what is
required and do that.
Compliance is separate from customer satisfaction efforts, although one
thing customers want is to know that we are in compliance. Others here may
be able to verify that company legal depts usually advise to supply exactly
what the government requires and no more and no less. Not just for MSDS,
but in all the departments, because all are regulated -- finance, HR,
shipping, packaging, labs, etc. etc. I worked in HR for years, and that was
always the legal advice we were given. MSDS are not about voluntary
communications between customer and supplier. They are about keeping
compliant. If you were aware of all that goes into compliance, I think it
would give you a different picture.
We also have a very strong focus on customer service, but that is tailored
to the specific needs of our customers, and is carried out in addition to
the requirements of compliance. We also have an active safety program in
our plants, based on actual conditions, which is in addition to our OSHA
compliance. OSHA compliance does NOT guarantee safety! And any company in
the country can be visited by OSHA and violations found. That doesn't mean
they aren't a safe company - they may or may not be, but all companies are
in violation of something. I doubt anyone in the departments dealing with
the agencies would say the above, at least not in public.
We also complete much more detailed on and off-site audits for 30 or 40 key
customers a year, such as Intel, who need extremely exacting data for their
process control. That is voluntary mutual communication with customers.
Holly,
E. Bangor, PA
----- Original Message -----
From: "Cindi Anderson"
Sent: Sunday, August 17, 2003 11:11 PM
>....... But truly there is no system in place to ensure accuracy, and I do
not believe it is wise to trust what >a given supplier might happen to have
in his files.
>Cindi
>Fremont, CA
Don & June MacDonald on mon 18 aug 03
Cindy said in her letter "truly there is no system in place to ensure
accuracy, and I do not believe that it is wise to trust what a given
supplier might happen to have in his files"
Earlier this year I had reason to request MSDS for a particular Spectrum
stain because I suspected that it had cadmium in it, and I wanted to be
sure of my ground before I ruled that this particular stain could not be
used in our (teaching) studio. I asked our supplier who sent me a
generic MSDS for stains, turned out they had been using a MSDS for a
purple colour for all of the stains. When I queried further, I received
by fax a MSDS for another colour, and this was direct from Spectrum.
Still not the right colour, I then asked again directly from Spectrum,
and eventually received the right MSDS, which showed that indeed this
colour had Cadmium in it. However, at the same time, the colour charts
all stated that all colours were safe to use as directed. I feel that
Cadmium is not a safe ingredient to use in a teaching studio, partly
because who ever uses these things as directed, experimentation leads
people to do all kinds of things with materials, and I informed the
student that this substance could not be used. When she read the MSDS,
she agreed.
I tell the story to illustrate that it is important to make sure that
you get the right MSDS for the material you are using!
June in B.C. feeling very proud that two of my students have placed
first and third respectively in a teapot show.
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