MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEET

A Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS), OSHA Form 174 or an equivalent form (fig. 1-8), shall be completed for each hazardous item procured and shall be submitted to the procuring activity by the contractor/manufacturer/vendor.

Upon drawing any hazardous material, MLO provides the crew leader with an MSDS. The MSDS identifies all hazards associated with exposure to that specific material. It also will identify any personnel protective equipment or other safety precautions required as well as first-aid/medical treatment required for exposure. The crew leader is required by federal law to inform crew members of the risks and all safety precautions associated with any hazardous material present in the shop or on the jobsite. This can be done during each daily safety lecture as the material is drawn and delivered to the jobsite/shop. All hands must be informed before the material can be used; therefore, it is a good practice to have a sign-off sheet on the actual MSDS. Additionally, the MSDS must be posted conspicuously, and all hands are aware of its location-at the jobsite, shop spaces, and any other approved hazardous material storage area.

HAZARDOUS MATERIAL CONTROL PROGRAM

The Hazardous Material Control Program is a Navy-wide program to administer the correct storage, handling, usage, and disposition of hazardous material. Steel workers are tasked with monitoring and complying with this program. Hazardous waste disposal has become a serious concern for the Naval Construction Force today. Cleaners, acids, fluxes, mastics, sealers, and even paints are just a few of the hazardous materials that can be present in your shop/jobsite. As a crew leader, you are responsible for the safety and protection of your crew. You are equally responsible for the protection of the environment. There are stiff fines and penalties that apply to NCF work as well as civilian work for not protecting the environment ! You are not expected to be an expert in this area. You should, however, immediately contact the environmental representative or the safety office in case of any environmental problem (spill, permits, planning, and such).

HAZARDOUS WARNING MARKINGS AND LABELS

Specific hazards can be determined at a glance by referring to warning markings and labels that identify hazardous materials. Hazardous warning markings and labels are necessary to show clearly the hazardous nature of the contents of packages or containers at all stages of storage, handling, use, and disposal. When unit packages (marked packages that are part of a larger container) are removed from shipping containers, the continuity of the specific hazard warning must be preserved. This is normally done by applying the appropriate identifying hazardous label to the hazardous material container or package.

The Department of Transportation (DOT) labeling system shown in figure 1-9 is a diamond-shaped symbol segmented into four parts. The upper three parts reflect hazards relative to health, fire, and reactivity. The lower part reflects the specific hazard that is peculiar to the material.

Figure 1-8A.-Material Safety Data Sheet (front).

Figure 1-8B.-Material Safety Data Sheet (back).

Figure 1-9.-Hazardous Code Chart.

The four specific hazards that the labels are designed to illustrate are as follows:

Health Hazard-the ability of a material to either directly or indirectly cause temporary or permanent injury or incapacitation.

Fire Hazard-the ability of a material to bum when exposed to a heat source.

Reactivity Hazard-the ability of a material to release energy when in contact with water. This term can be defined as the tendency of a material, when in its pure state or as a commercially produced product, to polymerize, decompose, condense, or otherwise become self-reactive and undergo violent chemical changes.

Specific Hazard-this term relates to a special hazard concerning the particular product or chemical that was not covered by other labeled hazard items.

The degree of hazard is expressed in numerical codes as follows:

4 = extremely dangerous material

3 = dangerous hazard

2 = moderate hazard

1 = slight hazard

0 = no hazard

The example shown in figure 1-10 describes the hazards of methyl ethyl ketone. Methyl ethyl ketone is usually found mixed with paints, oils, and greases from solvent cleaning, paint removers, adhesives, and cleaning fluid residues. The numbers on the label identify this chemical compound as follows:

' Health Hazard 2, "Hazardous"

' Fire Hazard 4, "Flash point below 73F, extremely dangerous material"

' Reactivity 3, "Shock or heat may detonate, dangerous material"

' Specific Hazard, "None"

Other specific labeling requirements are provided in the NAVSUPINST5100.27 (series). All supervisors should carefully review the contents of this instruction.

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