Safety Information 1

SAFETY
INFORMATION
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Where do we find safety information on the

cargoes we carry?
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Where do we find safety information on the cargoes

we carry?

MSDS
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MSDS

What does this stand for?

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MSDS - Material Safety Data Sheets

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MSDS - Material Safety Data Sheets

And can we find the information anywhere else?

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CHRIS Code (Chemical Hazard Response

Information System)

Chemical Data Guide (USCG)

ICS Guide (International Chamber of Shipping)

STOW Special Cargoes Handling Manual

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MFAG - IMO Medical First Aid Guide (Dangerous

Goods) or Chemical Supplement to Ships Captain’s
Medical Guide

Condensed Chemical Dictionary

Other IMO, USCG and Manufacturer’s publications

and Company Manuals
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What would you do (as Master or Chief Officer) if you

could not find any safety information on a particular
cargo?
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Contact the Ship Operator

The Ship Operator will approach the Shipper for you

The Operator also has access to a greater range of

material and can contact many experienced people
in the industry to secure the necessary information
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Are MSDS displayed only to satisfy a legal

requirement?

No

So what is their other purpose?

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Presentation of Safety Information

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Safety Information

The MSDS contains important safety information to

protect personnel, the ship and the environment,
particularly if something goes wrong
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Safety Information

The MSDS contains important safety

information to protect personnel, the ship and the
environment, particularly if something goes wrong

Lets look at a typical MSDS

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Typically, we find the following sections:

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•General description and references

•Fire and explosion hazard data

•Health hazard information

•Reactivity data

•Spill or leak procedure

•Carriage requirements

Contact numbers
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Of particular importance are the following:

Health Hazard Rating, eg 3,3,4

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Health Hazard Rating, eg 3,3,4

The first number refers to “irritating vapors” and

their effect on eyes, nose, throat and lungs. The
scale is 0 - 4, with 0 being non-irritating, 4 being
severe irritants
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Health Hazard Rating, eg 3,3,4

The second number refers to “irritating liquids” (or

solids) and indicates the chemical’s tendency to
burn or irritate the skin or eyes through contact.
Again there is a scale of 0 - 4 with 0 being no
appreciable hazard and 4 being a severe irritant
which will cause second or third degree burns on
short contact
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Health Hazard Rating,

The third number deals with the hazard due to

chemical poisons entering the body through
inhalation, ingestion or skin penetration. As before,
the scale is 0 - 4 with 0 indicating no likelihood of
injury and 4 appearing against a severely hazardous
chemical, typically having a Threshold Limit Value
below 10 ppm
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ie, the higher the number the greater the hazard

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•Spill and leak procedure

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Spill and leak procedure

This will show the personal protective

equipment needed and the recovery technique
to be followed in the event of a spill. You
should always ensure that the equipment is to
hand prior to commencing transfer operations
and that it is maintained in a clean,
serviceable condition
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Remember….

It is too late to look at the MSDS after the incident!

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Will any old information do?

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No, the latest edition of any applicable data is

always preferable

Why?

What must we do if it is not the latest version?

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Act with extreme caution

Why?
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Handling procedures do sometimes change

Chemical characteristics are also sometimes

modified or re-assessed

Should we do anything else?

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If you are not absolutely sure that the MSDS is the

very latest applicable version, then stamp it as
“UNCONTROLLED COPY” and act accordingly
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Typically, the MSDS are posted in the Cargo Control

Room or on a designated board in or near the Deck
Office

There is nothing to prevent you posting additional

copies elsewhere

Owing to the problems in displaying safety data in

paper form on deck, we utilize “Chemtags”, which
summarizes the hazard information
Chemtag 31
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The appropriate information is drawn from the

MSDS hard copy and inserted or circled / checked
on the “Chemtag”

The “Chemtag” is then transferred to a common

collection point in the Cargo Control Room or at
the manifold, for use by the watchkeeping
personnel.
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Know WHERE to get the information

Know HOW to use it

Make sure it is available WHEN needed