The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires that employers, such as the University, have a Right to Know Program. (Since Illinois State University is a public institution, Illinois Department of Labor [IDOL] is the enforcement authority for worker health and safety. IDOL requirements are essentially the same as OSHA's.) The Right to Know Law requires that an employer's program provide a means for identifying and evaluating a hazard and communicating appropriate information to employees.
Employees shall be provided and have access to information concerning any hazardous material they work with, as well as any protective equipment necessary to prevent overexposure.
The primary source of information concerning hazardous materials is the material safety data sheet (MSDS). MSDS's are documents that identify hazardous constituents of a product, information pertaining to health hazards, flammability, reactivity, and instructions for emergency response. MSDS's are required to be sent by the manufacturer of a hazardous material upon shipment of the material and upon request of an individual.
Individual departments should have copies of MSDS's available for materials used by department employees.
