MSDS stands for Material Safety Data Sheet. It is a form used by hazard material manufacturers, users like employers of a company or government enterprise. The purpose of the form is to implement the user safety and occupational safety. In USA OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) was created during President Nixon administration on December 29, 1970 under the occupational safety and health act. The purpose is to train the workers handing hazard materials, to reduce injury of the workers, and to reduce damage of property and health. OSHA guidelines are being used by USA public and government agencies. Every year one day is declared as OSHA safety day.

            GHS (Globally Harmonized System) is international hazardous chemical classification and labeling system similar to OSHA. The purpose of the GHS is to have a globally uniform standard. In 1992 at United Nations Rio conference various stakeholders and governments met together to start the development of GHS. It supersedes all other standards. 

            The MSDS form for a hazardous chemical/material has as many as sixteen sections. The MSDS sheet for water is listed below:

                             MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEET

                                           WATER MSDS:

Section 1: Chemical Product and Company Identification

            Section 2: Composition and Information on ingredients

                                    Water (CAS#7732-18-5) 100% by weight

            Section 3: Hazard Identification

                                    Potential acute health effect: none

                                    Potential chronic health effect: none

            Section 4: First Aid Measures None

                                    Eye contact:  none

                                    Skin contact:  none

                                    Inhalation:  none

                                    Ingestion:  none

            Section 5: Fore and Explosion Data

                                    Flammability: none

                                    Auto ignition: none

                                    Flash point: none

                                    …

                                    …

                                    Special Remarks on explosion hazard: none

                                    Special Remarks on fire hazard: none

            Section 6: Accidental release Measures

                                    Small spill: mop

                                    Large spill: absorb with inert material and put inert material in

                                                      Waste disposal

            Section 7: Handling and storage

                                    Precautions: none

                                    Storage: none

            Section 8:  Exposure control/personal protection:

                                      None

            Section 9: Physical and Chemical properties

                                    Physical state and appearance: liquid

                                    Odor: odorless

                                    …

                                    …

                                    …

                                    …

                                    dispersion properties: none

                                    Solubility: not applicable

            Section 10:  Stability and Reactivity Data

                                    Stability: stable

                                    Corrosivity: not corrosive

                                    Polymerization: none

            Section 11: Toxicological Information:

                                    None

            Section 12: Ecological information:

                                    None

            Section 13: Disposal Considerations

                                    Waste must be disposed as per government regulations

            Section 14: Transport Information

                                    none

            Section 15: Other Regulatory information

                                    Federal and State regulations: TSCA8(b) inventory water

                                    Other regulations: EINECS

                                    WHMIS( Canada): none

                                    DSCL (EEC): none

                                    HIMS (U,S,A): Health hazard/Fire hazard/Reactivity/Personal

                                                              protection. 0/0/0/0

                                    Nation Fire Protection Association (U.S.A)

                                                Health:  0

                                                Flammability:  0

                                                Reactivity:  0

                                                Special hazard

            Section 16: Other Information

                                                References

                                                Other Special Consideration

                                                Date created

                                                Last updated

MSDS sheet has to be updated every 2/3 years. This article is dedicated to Water MSDS.