Frequently Asked Questions

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If you are new to our site, click the MSDS Search tab located in the main navigation section at the top of our site.

As a visitor you may search our database at anytime during your visit. However, if you would like to open and view a safety data sheet you will need to sign up for one of our accounts (compare accounts).

We offer a Free Trial as a way for you to test-drive our database. This will give you access to open and view up to 5 MSDSs.

For account subscribers, once you have logged into your account, click the Your Account Tab, and then select the MSDSonline Search option.

A smart single Search field is provided to help you quickly locate an MSDS within our database.

You can search by Product Name, Manufacturer Name, CAS#, Product Code, or Synonyms. Search suggestions will be generated based on popular successful searches. Every suggestion is accompanied by an estimate of the number of results that search will return.

Once you have entered your search term, results that match or partially match your terms will display.

Here’s an example: If you were to search for “Acetic Acid”, the search would only return products that have both “Acetic” and “Acid” associated to them in any field. Additionally, if you typed in “Ace Acid”, you would still receive results for Acetic Acid, as “Ace” is contained within the word “Acetic”.

You can use the Narrow Results tools to further refine your search to help find an MSDS faster. Clicking on a selection under Narrow Results adds that selection as a filter for your search. For instance, if you were looking for an MSDS from a certain date, select a Revision Date range to only see your results within that range.

Whether you’re a first time visitor and seasoned subscriber, viewing an MSDS is easy. Once you’ve entered a search term in the Search field, you will receive a list of results that match your search query.

For each chemical product within the search results you will see a PDF icon (insert Icon). Click the icon to view the corresponding MSDS.

Please Note: You must have an account (compare accounts) and be logged in order to view an MSDS. We offer a Free Trial as a way for you to test-drive our database. This will give you access to open and view up to 5 MSDSs.

Clicking the PDF icon will launch Adobe Acrobat Reader and display a PDF image of the MSDS.

Click the Close MSDS link on the top of the MSDS display window to close the MSDS and return to the search results page.

If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader, you can download the most current version FREE from Adobe.

From an opened MSDS, you will notice the Adobe Acrobat Reader Tool Bar within the displayed MSDS window. Click the Print icon from within the Adobe Acrobat Reader Tool Bar to print the MSDS to your local printer.

Please Note: You must have an account (compare accounts) and be logged in order to view and print an MSDS. We offer a Free Trial as a way for you to test-drive our database. This will give you access to open, view and print up to 5 MSDSs.

If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader, you can download the most current version FREE from Adobe.

If the MSDS display window does not appear, when you click on the PDF icon, you most likely do not have the most current version of Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer.

If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader, you can download the most current version FREE from Adobe.

At MSDSonline we pride ourselves on delivering the most current and up-to-date MSDS content. In fact, we add more than 10,000 new or updated MSDSs each week.

If, however, we don't have an MSDS you need, we will try to get it for you. Subscribers to our GM, HQ and HQ RegXR Accounts can use the Request MSDS tool from within their account.

Fill out the form and based on information you provide us, MSDSonline will request the MSDS from the manufacturer on your behalf. Once received, we will process the MSDS and post it to your account for review and addition into your eBinder.

Please note: the number of requests included with your account vary by account type. Additional requests can be purchased by calling us toll-free at 1.888.362.2007.

Our exclusive eBinder is the place within your account where you can store and manage a site specific inventory of MSDSs. Think of it as your online chemical inventory. Here administrators and managers can build and maintain MSDS/chemical information relating to their location specific inventory or chemical products.

For GM, HQ and HQ RegXR account subscribers, the eBinder includes a number of tools designed to help you assign additional information to each chemical MSDS for better inventory management, secondary container label creation, product tracking, and regulatory or inventory reporting.

Search tools and filters are provided within the eBinder to help you quickly locate MSDSs.

Building Your eBinder

As an account subscriber, you can build your inventory by searching our database and then adding MSDSs to your eBinder.

If, however, we don't have an MSDS you need, we will try to get it for you. Subscribers to our GM, HQ and HQ RegXR accounts can use the Request MSDS tool from within their account. Once received, we will process the MSDS and post it to your account for review and addition into your eBinder.

If you already have copies of your MSDSs you can scan and upload these to your account as well.

We also offer MSDS Library Build services. Send us your Paper MSDSs or an up-to-date inventory list and our services team will build your eBinder for you. Call us toll-free at 1.888.362.2007 to learn more. We offer timely project turn-around and competitive rates on all of our services.

Throughout our site you will notice Buy Now buttons for our entry-level R&D and GM MSDS management accounts, which bring you to our simple online subscription process.

Our R&D Account is $149 for 1-year access to our online MSDS database

Our GM Account $449 for 1-year access to our online MSDS database plus a comprehensive suite of tools to help you manage a compliant MSDS inventory.

To order our HQ or HQ RegXR MSDS management accounts, or for any of our other EH&S compliance solutions, please call us toll free at 1.888.362.2007 or email us now.

Yes. The OSHA Hazard Communication Standard (CFR 1910.1200) relating to MSDS compliance is a performance-oriented standard. As such, OSHA has avoided mandating any one particular format for achieving compliance with the standard.

OSHA has issued general guidelines when utilizing electronic technologies for managing MSDSs.

OSHA stipulates that if you are using an electronic MSDS management system, you need to have a backup system. Our GM, HQ and HQ RegXR accounts provide multiple backup options to ensure you have a means to access your MSDSs in the case of lost Internet connectivity or power outage.

We also offer an on-demand MSDS Fax-Back service that enables your employees to get an MSDS faxed anytime – 24-hours a day, 365-days a year – by simply calling our toll-free fax hotline.

The service works seamlessly with your MSDSonline account to provide fax-access to your company's unique inventory of MSDSs. It’s another backup alternative to ensure compliance with Right-to-Know requirements.

To order our MSDS Fax-Back Service, call us toll free at 1.888.362.2007 or email us now. We offer timely project turn-around and competitive rates on all of our services.

Yes. We offer MSDS Library Build services. Send us your Paper MSDSs or an up-to-date inventory list and our services team will build your eBinder for you.

Our services team will scan and index all of your existing paper-based MSDSs and then post them to your secure eBinder on the Web. Subscribers to our GM, HQ and HQ RegXR accounts have online access to their eBinder any time, day or night, from any computer connected to the Internet.

Once the initial database is created, many of our clients send us new or updated MSDS on a periodic basis to process and add to their account.

As an account subscriber, you can also search our database to fill in gaps and support the ongoing maintenance of your inventory.

Call us toll-free at 1.888.362.2007 to learn more. We offer timely project turn-around and competitive rates on all of our services.

Yes. GHS is a world-wide standardized approach to hazard communication, which is supported by the United Nations and regulatory agencies around the globe, including OSHA. In short, GHS can be summarized into three main components:

• Standardized hazardous chemical classifications
• Standardized hazard warnings and symbols on container labels
• Standardized MSDS format and content

Chemical Manufacturers

If you are a chemical manufacturer, you will most likely need to re-author your MSDSs into the GHS format and make sure that your labels meet GHS requirements.

Through our MSDS Authoring offering, our team can assist you in your re-authoring process. Our trained, certified authoring professionals can create, update and even translate your product safety data sheets to ensure your safety data sheets comply with all local, national and international regulations, including GHS.

Call us toll-free at 1.888.362.2007 to learn more. We offer timely project turn-around and competitive rates on all of our services.

Employers

End-user employers will begin seeing GHS compliant safety data sheets soon and should expect to update their entire MSDS library. If ever there was a time to make the switch to electronic MSDS management – the time is now!

Our GM, HQ and HQ RegXR accounts will help you manage the Influx of MSDSs and make it easy to organize and deploy your MSDSs throughout your organization.

Our industry leading database of safety data sheets is available 24/7 and updated with over 10,000 new MSDSs weekly. As GHS compliant sheets become available, our system will automatically update your MSDS library.

GHS introduces several new label elements, i.e., pictograms and precautionary statements. Our system allows you to easily generate GHS compliant labels as well as custom and WHMIS compliant labels.

Call us toll-free at 1.888.362.2007 to learn more.

Yes. Health Canada’s Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS), much like OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard, is primarily focused on providing employees information on chemical hazards in the workplace via labels and MSDSs.

Nevertheless, WHMIS is in many ways the more demanding regulation. For example, in addition to maintaining a library of MSDSs and making them readily available to employees, WHMIS requires employers to update MSDSs every three years. Similarly, WHMIS label requirements are more structured than their U.S. counterparts with seven categories of information required on most labels.

These added specifications make our systems even more suitable to WHMIS. The more rigorous the regulation, the more sense our systems make. Our GM, HQ and HQ RegXR accounts make tracking and updating MSDSs easy, while the HQ and HQ RegXR accounts can generate WHMIS and GHS compliant labels.

To help ensure your inventory is up-to-date and WHMIS compliant, we also offer MSDS Updates / Verification services. Our team of experts will periodically review your online eBinder to verify that you have the latest versions. We’ll work with you to determine a review cycle that’s right for your business and compliance needs. As we review your library, we’ll verify the current version is the most up-to-date and stamp the document with the date verified. If we find more recent versions, we’ll index those MSDSs and post them to your eBinder for you. Call us toll-free at 1.888.362.2007 to learn more. We offer timely project turn-around and competitive rates on all of our services.

WHMIS & GHS

Something else for anyone with obligations under WHMIS to look out for is the coming adoption of GHS in Canada. GHS is a global system for classifying hazardous chemicals and communicating those hazards via labels and safety data sheets. Health Canada has signaled its intention to align WHMIS with GHS, which would have a significant impact on the Canada’s hazard communication standard. Employers would see MSDSs and labels with entirely new formatting and elements. Our systems are GHS ready, so you will be too.

To order our GM, HQ and HQ RegXR accounts, or for any of our other EH&S compliance solutions, call us toll free at 1.888.362.2007 or email us now.