Msds

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? UT
An incident tonight led me to have some serious questions about MSDS regulations. My husband works in retail and had a customer approach him this evening. She said that the drink she had just purchased tasted horrible and requested her money back for the product. My husband was horrified when she held out the product and it was a bottle of cleaner. He verified that she had been drinking it and she said she had. The supervisor had walked over and immediately took over the situation but apparently no one in his workplace had a clue what to do. When no one seemed to be doing anything my husband called me knowing I'd be home and asked me to get him the number for poison control. I told him that I would, but that it may be faster to get the number to call from the MSDS book. Not only did he not know what this was, but the supervisor seemed completely baffled as well. Fortunately, the lady is going to be all right, but if it had been a different product in this sort of situation seconds could count.

So I guess my question is, are employers required to not only have an MSDS book, but have it easy accessible and educate EVERY employee on where it is and what it is? The MSDS was included in my training in my first job and I made it my business since then to always know what and where it is so I never considered an employer would be so negligent. (I have tried to find more information about this online but I keep finding more about manufacturer regulations than employer regulations.)

MSDS are only required where the products are used, not sold. A large retailer such as Walmart would have literally a small library for all the products they carry, could you imagine someone digging through a bunch of books to find the MSDS info for a specific product. Besides, MSDS is designed to be read before using a product, not after, so the user if familiar with the safety requirements of a specific product. Most if not all companies also have their MSDS documents available online. The packaging should also have safety info in case of accidental ingestion or if it gets in one's eyes.

A bigger concern I would have had in such a situation is how would someone confuse a bottle of cleaner for a beverage. The first call your husband should have made was 911, most if not all 911 call centers have one button access to the National Poison Control Center in Atlanta. 911 could have also dispatch emergency medical responders immediately if/as required.

Thanks. I'm not familiar with retail and didn't know that. I've always worked in situations where people would actually be using chemicals, not buying them. I agree though that the first call should have been to 911. More alarming than my husband not doing so is the supervisor not knowing what to do either. The person who drank the cleaner was a little old lady who was there with a group of older people and she said that she had really bad eyesight. Hopefully family will get her the care she needs after this incident since some are so reluctant to admit they need help.