CHICAGO, Jan. 8, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MSDSonline, the leading provider of cloud-based solutions for managing hazardous chemicals, today announced it has made a modification to its logo. The update reflects recent changes OSHA has made to safety data sheets — the documents used to provide critical information to users of hazardous chemicals.
For decades, OSHA called such documents material safety data sheets and they are commonly known as MSDSs. Now, as part of its adoption of the Global Harmonization System (GHS), OSHA is dropping the word "material" and is simply calling them safety data sheets or SDSs. MSDSonline is responding to this transition by de-emphasizing the "M" in its logo and putting greater visual focus on the "SDSonline" portion of its name.
The logo update is purposely timed to dovetail an important OSHA GHS implementation deadline. December 1, 2013 is the date, employers with workers exposed to hazardous chemicals were required to train their employees on OSHA's new chemical label and safety data sheet formats. The new formats and name change are part of larger changes OSHA recently made to its Hazard Communication Standard (HazCom) which covers hazardous chemicals in over 5 million workplaces.
"When OSHA aligned its HazCom Standard with GHS, the United Nation's model hazard communication system, it started a chain of events that have had far reaching consequences for chemical manufacturers, distributors and employers," said Glenn Trout, president and CEO of MSDSonline. "Chemical manufactures have to reclassify all of their chemicals and then they have to re-author all of their MSDSs into the new GHS required SDS format. A mistake many employers are making is to think all of those changes to MSDSs have already been made— for sure some have, but most have not, as chemical manufactures have until June 1, 2015 to make the changes."
Dan Ciancio, VP of marketing at MSDSonline added, "This is an important and complex transition that the workplace safety industry is going through. MSDSonline is so named because we specialize in helping customers manage safety information through our cloud-based hazard communication compliance solutions. During the next few years our customers are going to have to manage a mix of both current MSDSs and newly formatted GHS styled SDSs."
Ciancio continued, "We've made this update to our logo to one, signal to our customers that they can continue to count on us for both their MSDS and SDS needs through this transitional phase; and two, to reflect the leadership MSDSonline will continue to provide on OSHA's GHS adoption by educating the marketplace and providing one-of-a-kind compliance solutions."
Information OSHA's HazCom Standard and GHS adoption, including free webinars and other training materials, is available on MSDSonline's website at www.MSDSonline.com and on its blog, www.MSDSonline.com/blog.
About MSDSonline
Founded in 1996 and based in Chicago, MSDSonline is a leading provider of cloud-based EH&S compliance solutions, offering products and services for managing safety data sheets, reporting workplace incidents, training employees and administering other critical EH&S information. The company's mission is to provide sustainable solutions that help customers improve employee safety, streamline compliance recordkeeping and reduce potential exposures to workplace hazards and risks. MSDSonline has been recognized for the last six years on Inc. magazine's list of America's 5,000 fastest-growing private companies. More information is available online at www.MSDSonline.com and on the official company blog at http://www.msdsonline.com/blog/. MSDSonline is an ICG (Nasdaq:ICGE) company.