Ralph

There are reports, going back to the early days of RCRA, that clearly show
litigation(civil tort) is much more effective in modifying behavior than
regulations.  I know for a fact of dozens of cases where the information on
the MSDS has been the focus of the issue.  I suspect GHS is way too new to
have a track record yet




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-----Original Message-----
From: DCHAS-L Discussion List [mailto:dchas-l**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU] On Behalf Of
Ralph B. Stuart
Sent: Friday, May 16, 2014 12:16 PM
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical safety information liability

I wonder if anyone on the list has knowledge of specific law the assigns, or
cases that have assessed, who is responsible for the accuracy of chemical
safety information provided to uses of those chemicals? I suspect that the
answer would vary by country, perhaps by state, but I'd be interested in
either generic or jurisdiction-specific responses.

My understanding has always been under the OSHA HazComm standard that the
employer is responsible for assessing the quality of the information on an
MSDS before developing training materials about how to work with that
chemical safety. I wonder if the development of the GHS has changed that at
all or if there are cases where the supplier of the chemical has been held
responsible for injuries to workers who use those chemicals?

Thanks for any information on this.

- Ralph


Ralph Stuart CIH
Chemical Hygiene Officer
Department of Environmental Health and Safety Cornell University

rstuart**At_Symbol_Here**cornell.edu