Under WHMIS law, an MSDS for a controlled product must not be more than

three years old. If you are still using a product that you bought more than
three years ago, you may not have a current MSDS. Contact the manufacturer
or supplier again and ask for a newer version of the MSDS.
every 3 years
A Safety Data Sheet shall be reviewed at least every 3 years. Records of
SDS updates such as content, date, and version revision, shall be kept for 3
years.

1910.1200(g)(6)(i)
Chemical manufacturers or importers shall ensure that distributors and
employers are provided an appropriate safety data sheet with their initial
shipment, and with the first shipment after a safety data sheet is updated;
Part Number:1910

Part Number Title:Occupational Safety and Health Standards

Subpart:1910 Subpart Z

Subpart Title:Toxic and Hazardous Substances

Standard Number: 1910.1200

Title: Hazard Communication.

Appendix:ABCDEF

GPO Source:e-CFR

Safety data sheets may be kept in any form, including operating procedures, and
may be designed to cover groups of hazardous chemicals in a work area where it
may be more appropriate to address the hazards of a process rather than
individual hazardous chemicals. However, the employer shall ensure that in all
cases the required information is provided for each hazardous chemical, and is
readily accessible during each work shift to employees when they are in their
work area(s).
May 15, 1992

Gary W. Bird, M.D.

Family Practice Associates
Suite F
705 Landa Street
New Braunfels, Texas 78130

Dear Dr. Bird:

This is in further response to your letter of March 5, addressed to President

Bush, concerning the requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) for material safety data sheets (MSDSs) to be present in
workplaces for hazardous chemicals.

In your letter you raised concern that you must have a MSDS for "materials that
can be purchased on the grocery store shelf." The HCS applies to all hazardous
chemicals used in a workplace, but exempts consumer products if their use is of
the same duration or frequency as that of normal consumer use (see 29 CFR
1910.1200(b)(6)(vii). Your letter mentions such items as "dishwashing soap,
rubbing alcohol, Clorox bleach and other miscellaneous cleaning products." If
your employees' use of these chemicals is the same as that of normal consumers
- they use a cleanser, say, as you would at home, to clean sinks or counter tops,
for example - then such products would not need to be addressed in your hazard
communication program. If, however, an employee's job goes beyond normal
household use e.g., cleaning sinks all day, then the employee would be entitled
to the hazard communication information (via a material safety data sheet and
appropriate training) on the hazards that product may pose.