MSDS FAQ

What is an MSDS? 

MSDS is the acronym for Material Safety Data Sheet. In manufacturing or processing where chemicals are used, customers purchasing products are entitled to know safety and non-safety features of chemicals used in products.

In the U.S., these are mandatory for products that have potential to cause illness or injury to humans, animals or the environment.

MSDS Origins

In most companies that produce products using raw or synthetic materials, an MSDS originates from the "recipe" used to create the product. For example, in water flocculants, an MSDS is created after a mass balance sheet and certificate of analysis are provided by R&D and QA/QC departments who create and test all products for safety and effectiveness of use.

Next, data contained in these documents are transferred to a standard MSDS form under OSHA Regulation 3514 which outlines mandatory information that must be contained in the MSDS.

The format of an MSDS begins with information on properties in a specific product. For example, an MSDS for ingredients used to make paints would contain names of raw materials used to manufacture particular types of paints.

The MSDS would also include any hazardous properties such as flammability, absorption in human skin or through inhalation and corrosive properties.

The actual format of the MSDS includes:

Section I - Identification of the product and company name creating it

• Basic product use
• Emergency telephone number and emergency contact name
• Chemical name, class and synonym(s)
• Product creation date
• MSDS author

Section II

• Composition and Product Ingredients
• Chemical identification and CAS number (Chemical Abstract Service)
• Ingredient data such as chemical concentration, volume and weights 

Limits of exposure

Section III

• Hazard Identification
• Potential path of exposure
• Hazard to human organs
• Exposure severity

Signs and symptoms of exposure

There are additional sections to MSDS sheets that further define chemical properties, reactivity and chemical stability, toxicological and ecological data, proper disposal and transportation to disposal site and regulatory compliance information.

How to Read an MSDS Sheet
It's important to note that some products contain more than one chemical. In this case, more than one MSDS is issued for each chemical component. MSDS are written in clear, easy to understand terminology.

How to Get an MSDS
Whenever you purchase a product, even simple household cleaning products, you have the right to request MSDS sheets from the manufacturer of the product. These are provided upon request. In some cases, an MSDS may accompany the product when it is packaged.

3 Benefits Of Hiring A Business Coach

A business coach just like in sports is a trainer; he is there to help the persons running a business with skills and traits that will help in human resource development. A business coach is there to help a firm manager on an individual focus develop the required attributes in running their firms for success. Self-attribute that will be a development strategy to gaining proficiency in the business. Business coaches are there to monitor performance, deal with conflict, and enhance trait management at a professional level in addition to initiating personal changes desirable for the business. Support, accountability, and encouragement are their major role. Business coaches are important in the businesses due to;

They are a consistent support
Unlike most of the times where we forget about ourselves and concentrating on helping other people, business men are there to bring back the focus on you. This includes like being in good health for better performance in the business or in the maximization of time spent at work. For an hour session in with a business coach, one is likely to identify positive progress in their professional attributes and also how they handle the employees or clients. Constant support from business coaches enhances positive change and courage in the handling of negotiations.


Business coaches are an added source of knowledge

Business coaches have knowledge and information in business as their art. They know all the ups and downs in a business and sharing the business problems with them is like solving them. They cannot be compared to sharing the business with some couple of friends who will offer just sympathy. Their inputs as coaches are relevant for the business; they bring out the needed perspective. This will not only solve problems in business but enlighten for future uncertainties.


Business coaches are not there to judge, they mean business

Business coaches will only call at the destined time with an important objective. After sharing with them, they will provide professional opinions about that business idea and will not be there to create judgments. Honesty is what they work with, and they will help you avoid feeling dumb in front of a couple of business partners while sharing ideas. They are all that an entrepreneur needs to boost their businesses to the next level and improve on their entrepreneurship skills and attributes.

-Original image courtesy of Thomas Hawk on Flickr

The Need-To-Know Stats to Plan the Perfect Wedding

June is the most popular month to tie the knot, but brides and grooms have so many questions while planning for the big day. How many groomsmen should I have? How many bridesmaids? What should our budget be? While there is no rule book stating what you can and cannot do with your wedding and the reception, each year, websites and organizations release a list of statistics with averages and percentages from the previous year’s weddings.

I decided to take the Wonderlic Test...here's what happened.

I'm a bit of a football fan and I'm not ashamed to say it. One of the more interesting elements of being a football fan is the NFL Draft. Each year leading up to the draft the top college players hit the NFL combine and run through a battery of tests where they are poked, prodded and measured in every way that NFL scouts find worthwhile. This includes everything from measuring hand size, to vertical jump, to shuttle runs and even to a variety of tests including the Wonderlic Test.

The Wonderlic is one of the better known intelligence tests, but unlike some of its older contemporaries like the IQ test, the Wonderlic can be administered quickly and is thought to be more of a measure of someone's ability to "think on their feet". 50 questions in 12 minutes. For those who score well it's a pat on the back, for those who score poorly, expect a media shaming.

As a college educated person, I wanted to see how I'd do compared to the jocks so I could feel superior or great shame. I signed up at a local administrator and gave it a go. Here was my experience.

1. Nerves. It's been a long time since I took a test of any kind. Though I had nothing to gain in this experience, it did cost me money and I didn't want to explain to my wife if I was found to be stupid.
2. The test goes FAST. I mean, unbelievably fast. I was cognizant of the time for the most part, but  I still wasn't able to finish the questions in time. I was on question 46, and though there was no warning I knew I was about out of time so I started randomly filling in answers but left the final two blank.
3. It's very easy to get caught up on a single question, which is what happened to me. I should have skipped it - it was a math question that I kept second guessing myself on and it ate up 30-45 seconds, and that's a big no-no.

So how'd I do? I ended up with a 41. So, by NFL standards, I'm pretty smart. Though, I guess that's a good score by most any standard. That said, this isn't reason to get big headed, it's a test. I'm good at taking tests and always have been. I imagine there are plenty of people good at processing information and even highly book smart who just wouldn't do well based on the logistics of the Wonderlic. 

That said, I've looked around on the web and taken a few of the free online versions, and the only one which I found to be a fairly close approximation was wonderlictestsample.com, so give it a try if you're interested in seeing how you'd do with Wonderlic questions.

The Nursing Shortage

The shortage of registered nurses has been predicted and studied for more than a decade, when the health care industry began preparing for the impact of an aging baby-boomer population. There are several factors that have contributed to the shortage of nurses and many steps being taken to correct it.

The nursing shortage is a result of not only the aging workforce, but also a main contributor was the Affordable Care Act in 2010 that brought millions of Americans into the health insurance system, increasing demand for nurses. Another major reason for the shortage is the retirement rate of RNs,  as 55 percent of the current RN workforce are 50 or older, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. More than 1 million RNs will reach retirement age withing the next 10 to 15 years.

The shortage has affected nurses and patients alike, with an increased and heavy workload for nurses and less detailed care for patients. According to a report done by the Joint Commission of Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, inadequate nurse staffing has been a factor in 24 percent of the 1,609 cases involving patient death, injury, or permanent loss of function reported since 1997. For nurses, the shortage has meant increased stress levels, longer hours, and job dissatisfaction. On the other hand, as incentive to persuade young people to join the nursing field, higher salaries are being offered, as well as large sign-on bonuses.

In order to minimize the shortage, many colleges are taking steps to expand their nursing programs and to get students more interested in joining the health care industry. Many students have realized that the shortage means easy post graduate employment, prompting them to join the nursing track. Sixty percent of graduates from Sinclair School of Nursing in Missouri had confirmed jobs even before graduation. One organization, Nurses for a Healthier Tomorrow, made up of 40 national nursing and health care organizations are working to address the shortage. The coalition has created a website as well as an advertising campaign and secured media coverage to spread the word about the shortage and to encourage young people to join the field.

The nursing shortage is a long-term problem that requires long-term solutions and mainly the best solution is to get our young people interested in nursing. Campaigns, higher salaries, and an increased awareness of what being a nurse really means are the first steps. 

About the Author: Ed is a guest contributor from CNA Free Training, a free online resource offering impeccable CNA training for nursing jobs.

Hasbro and The Autism Project Collaborate to Help Children with Disabilities

For a child with developmental disabilities, playing with certain toys may not come naturally, but Hasbro feels that this is no reason for them not to experience the joy that these toys can bring them. Hasbro Inc. has recently teamed up with The Autism Project to help create resources for children to learn and understand how to use their toys. The series titled Toybox Tools helps to encourage children with disabilities to still play with toys and enjoy playtime. The Autism Project is a group of parents and professionals that create instructional videos and tools for people with autism. The outcome of this partnership will be these same resources but specifically for children and with a focus on enjoying toys and playtime. 

Extended Warranties: The Smart Invesment

This is a Guest Posting by: Adam Davies from Warrick Ford

Extended Warranties:  the thing your DIY Dad said you don’t need, the salesman says is essential and you’ve never heard of. So what are they? Do you need one? And what does it do?

To get you started, an extended warranty is a service that you pay for which will cover some to all of your repairs down the line when your car needs fixing. There are usually two schools of thought when it comes to an extended warranty, there’s the side that think they aren’t worth thinking twice about, and then there’s those who wouldn’t buy a car without one. Those in the former group are entitled to their opinion, but in today’s world of holding onto vehicles longer and getting the most out of what you own, an extended warranty is a safe and smart investment.

An extended warranty kicks in after the factory bumper to bumper warranty expires on your vehicle and comes in different tiers of coverage depending on what you want to be covered. Complete packages are obviously pricier than basic coverage but also give you much more peace of mind knowing your whole car is covered, not just a major component. There will always be arguments against extended warranties and while cars have gotten more and more reliable over the years, your best bet is still to get some coverage. Here’s why, as I just mentioned, cars by in large have been getting more reliable in recent years and while that is a great thing, they have also been getting much more advanced in terms of parts, components and how they all work together, which works against you when it comes time to get something fixed.

A mere 10-12 years ago let’s say your side view mirror was clipped and broke off, while still a pain, these mirrors only cost you $20 and an hour in the garage to replace. Now jump to today, in the same situation, not only can a side view mirror be hundreds of dollars, but there may be no way you can replace it by yourself, which means taking it to a garage and paying even more money just to fix your mirror. The truth of the matter is that most of us today don’t have the time or expertise to fix our vehicles ourselves but also don’t want to pay thousands of dollars every time it’s in the shop. An extended warranty can greatly ease this pain we feel in our wallets and get us back on the road safely.

Another important thing to remember is that your extended warranty does NOT need to be purchased the same day you buy your new car, but it may be most negotiable then. Here’s what you do, before buying your vehicle, do your research, call around, get quotes and find out what plan is best for you, go into the dealership knowing what coverage and price you need and want and don’t budge. One caveat to this is that while you can still purchase an extended warranty after your factory coverage runs out, the cost increases dramatically, so it’s best to do it before hand.

In the end the choice is truly up to you, the consumer, and it’s great you’re doing your homework. The best way to think of an extended warranty is just like you would any other “insurance” type of purchase, and many people don’t think about purchasing it, or getting enough coverage until it’s too late. Prices are usually competitive and easy for you to budget for. It’s an investment you’ll be happy you made when the day comes you take your car in for a problem and don’t get stuck paying a few thousand dollars in repairs.