Australia's Science Forum

We use Risk Assess here, so I thought I would look at the proposed labels that they will be providing once the system is up and running.
The examples are located at the bottom of the home page.
I am not sure the first 2 even meet the Regulation.

My HOF has stated that we need to also add manufacturer details on ALL decanted bottles, including dropper bottles. I dont think this is the case.
We are also looking at adding that info to all dropper bottles, I think it is going overboard, what does every one else do and feel about those tiny dropper bottles? How much info is required? at the moment we have only name and Concentration on dropper bottles and the full info on the side of the tray (excluding manufacturer details lol).

It is refreshing to hear common sense Linotas but, we of the bottom rung order need to be wary.

Superbug, I am with your thoughts of the RiskAssess labels and have mixed feelings about it all. Firstly, the print size can only be so small (it is 8 the minimal requirement?) and secondly, I have seen somewhere (and of course at the moment I can't remember where) that you can put "refer to SDS for full details of risk and precautionary advice" on the label on the bottle and the tray needs to have all the information.

My head hurts....

The risk assess labels are for decanted chemicals, not storage of stock chemicals in their original container. But if you make up a saturated solution of copper sulphate for crystal making, for example, then the labels are the minimum legal requirement. (see below)

Regulation 335, Part 3 of Schedule 9: If a hazardous chemical has been decanted or transferred
from the container in which it was packed and it will not be used immediately or it is supplied to
someone else, the label must, at a minimum, be written in English and include the following:
• the product identifier, and
• a hazard pictogram or hazard statement consistent with the correct classification of the
chemical.
For the purposes of this Code, decant means to transfer a hazardous chemical from a correctly
labelled container to another container within a workplace. Such a container may range from a
small flask in a research laboratory to a large vessel that is used to contain reaction components
prior to use in a mixing or reaction process.
Where the entire amount of a decanted hazardous chemical will be used immediately, labelling of its container is not required.

Although in rereading it even an alliquot of powder transferred from the original container would be counted as "decanted" a.nd as such, the risk assess labels would apply

For decanted chemicals, you would NOT need the company, or else you would have to put the Distilled water company as well.

Yeah but distilled water is non hazardous, lol

Firstly, I take it that the manufacturer's name goes on what they have "manufactured". They are not the manufacturer of a solution/dilution in a dropper bottle. Secondly, I agree with what Linotas says about the minimum information required.

As I have said many times (sorry if I'm repeating myself), everyone needs to check with their own WHS people. I am going to follow the advice I received from the safety training course as that is all the information I have officially received.

Also remember that GHS labels apply to hazardous chemicals only.

That's my response as well Merilyn1. I will take the advice from my school systems WHS manager and states Worksafe code of practise. So far that has been pretty reasonable.

please read the information from the ASSIST site. These are national body for School Science technicians and it really is very useful.

https://assist.asta.edu.au/sites/assist ... micals.pdf

You're right Rae, Science Assist has some really useful information available and a good place to go for expert advice. We need to keep using it, otherwise it will go away...

So do you guys print all the sds out, or do you use electronic copies?

We have hard copies. One set in the science prep room that are available to all science staff and another master set (with all the SDSs for the whole school) in the front office. The problem with electronic copies is what happens if there is a power failure, internet/server problems and the SDSs are not accessible.
I check them every year and replace the ones that are more than five years old. If I purchase new chemicals through the year, I add the SDS to the collection at the time of purchase.