I
105TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 4037
To require the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to recognize
that electronic forms of providing Material Safety Data Sheets provide
the same level of access to information as paper copies and to improve
the presentation of safety and emergency information on such Data
Sheets.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JUNE 11, 1998
Ms. GRANGER (for herself and Mr. ROEMER) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce
A BILL
To require the Occupational Safety and Health Administra-
tion to recognize that electronic forms of providing Mate-
rial Safety Data Sheets provide the same level of access
to information as paper copies and to improve the pres-
entation of safety and emergency information on such
Data Sheets.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. OSHA RECOGNITION OF ELECTRONIC MSDS’S.
Section 6(b) of the Occupational Safety and Health
Act of 1970 (29 U.S.C. 655(b)) is amended by adding at
the end the following:
‘‘(9) Not later than 180 days after the date of
enactment of this paragraph, the Secretary shall
modify 
the 
regulations, 
contained 
in 
section
1910.1200(g) of title 29, Code of Federal Regula-
tions, to clarify that an employer complies with the
standard contained in such regulations if the em-
ployer makes information on each hazardous chemi-
cal used in the workplace readily accessible (avail-
able for retrieval immediately in the case of an emer-
gency) to employees through electronic access or
other alternatives to paper copies. Emergency back-
up requirements for such electronic access systems
shall not exceed the requirements placed upon tradi-
tional, paper storage systems.’’.
SEC. 2. STANDARDIZATION FORMAT FOR MSDS’S.
Section 6(b) of the Occupational Safety and Health
Act of 1970 (29 U.S.C. 655(b)) (as amended by section
1), is further amended by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(10)(A) Not later than 180 days after the date
of enactment of this paragraph, the Secretary shall
modify 
the 
regulations, 
contained 
in 
section
1910.1200 of title 29, Code of Federal Regulations,
to require that information on hazardous chemicals
in a Material Safety Data Sheet (referred to as
‘‘MSDS’’) shall be presented in a format that in-
cludes an emergency overview which warns of those
health and physical hazards that require immediate
attention in an emergency situation. Such informa-
tion shall be featured prominently on the first page
of the MSDS and it shall describe emergency first-
aid, handling, and clean-up instructions and note the
material’s appearance and physical state.
‘‘(B) The emergency overview under subpara-
graph (A) shall require information on all hazardous
chemicals produced, imported, or used to be pre-
sented at a language and comprehension level that
is consistent with the technical proficiency of the
target audience. For sections of the MSDS that are
intended for all readers or audiences, the language
used should be understandable to the widest audi-
ence possible and should be written with a minimum
of technical wording.’’.
SEC. 3. STUDY.
Not later than 90 days after the date of the enact-
ment of this section, the Secretary shall initiate a study
that assesses and measures the comprehensibility of haz-
ard warnings to the average industrial worker as they
would be presented under section 6(b)(10)(A) of the Occu-
pational Safety and Health Act of 1970. Upon completion
of the study, the Secretary shall prepare a report and
make it available to chemical manufacturers and import-
ers required to prepare Material Safety Data Sheets under
regulations published as section 1910.1200(g) of title 29,
Code of Federal Regulations.
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