Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) provide information to employees who may be occupationally exposed to a hazard at work. For example, MSDS for paint is not highly pertinent to someone who uses a can of paint once a year, but is extremely important to someone who does this in a confined space 40 hours a week.
MSDS includes information such as physical data (melting point, boiling point, flash point, etc.), toxicity, health effects, first aid, reactivity, storage, disposal, protective equipment, and spill/leak procedures. The information is helpful not only for employees, but to emergency responders and medical personnel.
MSDS are available to employees upon request. To make a request, contact Penn State's Environmental Health and Safety Office.