Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)
Safety Programs & Emergency Response Guides

OSHA Hazardous Communications Standard 29CFR 1910.1200 requires that MSDS must be provided by manufactures and downstream distributors to purchasers of industrial gas products with the initial shipment of the chemical. It also requires that all employees who may be exposed to a hazardous chemical have ready access to the MSDS at all times.

UIG / UCG Material Data Safety Sheets Click Name of Product to View MSDS	NFPA Hazard Ratings (Click for Interpretation)
Argon - Ar - Refrigerated Liquid (LAR)	3	0	0
Argon - Ar - Gas (GAR)	1	0	0

Carbon Dioxide - CO2 - Refrigerated Liquid (LCO2)	3	0	0
Carbon Dioxide - CO2 - Gas (CO2)	1	0	0

Nitrogen - N2 - Refrigerated Liquid (LIN, LN)	3	0	0
Nitrogen - N2 - Gas (GAN, GN)	1	0	0

Oxygen - O2 - Refrigerated Liquid (LOX)	3	0	0	OX
Oxygen - O2 - Gas (GOX, GO)	0	0	0	OX

Hydrogen - H2 - Gas	0	4	0

Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) are an important resource for safety awareness and education as well as a reference tool for emergency preparedness and emergency response programs and teams.

MSDS provide information about the composition, characteristics and potential hazards of gas and liquid products. They include tips on safe handling, and information useful to emergency response and other medical personnel about ways to avoid adverse effects and deal with health problems.

OSHA regulations require that MSDS be supplied to all purchasers of potentially hazardous products and that employers make appropriate MSDS available, at all times, to those working in areas where exposure to hazardous materials may occur.

UIG and UCG offer MSDS for liquid and gas products that are manufactured and/or distributed by UCG, and products which may be manufactured by others in plants and equipment that have been supplied by UIG. MSDS are available for oxygen, nitrogen, argon, carbon dioxide and hydrogen.

Every employer has the responsibility to maintain current copies of MSDS in a central location on the worksite in a manner that ensures that employees are able to refer to them while they are in their work areas during all shifts. This requirement may be met in many ways; for instance, by maintaining hard copies of current MSDS in a binder or by maintaining links to the MSDS through accessible computer systems and terminals.

The latest UIG MSDS are always available on the internet; formatted for printing on standard letter paper.

MSDS Information related to hazard identification and first aid is highlighted by a yellow background.

Safety Training and Awareness Programs

UIG is dedicated to conducting its business in a manner which is protective of the safety of customers, employees, contractors and members of the general public. Maintaining a high level of safety in the workplace and minimizing risks to all parties that might be affected by an emergency situation involves fostering a pro-safety attitude, ensuring that employees, customers and contractors understand potential hazards, utilize good practices and procedures, and are prepared to respond to emergency situations quickly and effectively.

In addition to the types of situations and hazards encountered in most industrial, manufacturing, warehousing and material delivery operations, employees, customers and contractors working with industrial gases must remain aware of special hazards associated with these products.

UIG safety awareness programs involve home office personnel; UIG construction, operation and maintenance field personnel and UIG contractors. Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) play an important role in these programs as both a teaching aid and a ready reference source for critical information on properties, hazards, good practices and first aid associated with these gas and liquid products.

Special Hazards and Cautions Applicable to Common Industrial Gases

The potential to create oxygen-rich or oxygen-deficient atmospheres
The need to tie down and maintain control over cylinders, hoses, and other equipment
The need to protect critical equipment from damage and replace equipment that may become damaged
The need to respect cautions and mechanical safeguards built into many components, such as intentionally incompatible fittings that are used with incompatible products

The need to understand the effect of intense cold on ordinary materials, including carbon steel, which becomes brittle at very low temperatures
The need to use appropriate personal protective equipment to avoid severe damage to unprotected flesh exposed to cryogenic temperatures

Emergency Response Guidebook (EMR)

The EMR Guidebook was developed by the US Department of Transportation, Transport Canada, and the Secretariat of Communications and Transportation of Mexico (SCT) for firefighters, police, and other emergency services personnel arriving at the scene of a transportation incident involving a hazardous material.

The Guidebook describes basic characteristics of the material they are dealing with, and guidance on how to protect themselves and the general public during the initial response phase of the incident. Each UIG online MSDS page contains active links to the relevant Emergency Response Guidebook pages.

The ERG is updated every three to four years to accommodate new products and technology. The next version is scheduled for release in 2008.

National Fire Protection Association Hazard Ratings Interpretation:

NFPA Hazard Rating Information is summarized on a diamond-shaped diagram that can rapidly alert personnel to substances that require special vigilance. Hazards are rated from 0 (no unusual hazard) to 4 (severe hazard).

Ratings are given for Health, Flammability and Instability (or Reactivity) and displayed in three colored diamonds. A while diamond at the bottom of the diagram is reserved for information on special hazards associated with fire fighting - alerting to reactivity with water or significant oxidizing potential. NFPA ratings are shown on each UIG MSDS.

Interpretation of NFPA Hazard Rating Indices
Health (Blue)
4	Danger	May be fatal on short exposure. Specialized protective equipment required
3	Warning	Corrosive or toxic. Avoid skin contact or inhalation - can cause serious injury
2	Warning	May be harmful if inhaled or absorbed
1	Caution	May be irritating
0	-- -- -- --	No unusual hazard under fire conditions
Flammability (Red)
4	Danger	Readily flammable gas or easily vaporized and extremely flammable liquid
3	Warning	Liquid or solid that will ignite under most ambient conditions.
2	Caution	Liquid or solid that is combustible if moderately preheated or exposed to high temperature
1	-- -- -- --	Combustible if heated significantly
0	-- -- -- --	Not combustible
Instability or Reactivity (Yellow)
4	Danger	Will readily detonate at normal ambient temperature and pressure conditions
3	Danger	May be explosive if shocked, heated under confinement or mixed with water
2	Warning	Unstable (may violently decompose but not detonate) or may react violently if mixed with water
1	Caution	May react if heated or mixed with water but not violently
0	Stable	Not reactive when mixed with water
Special Fire-related Notices (White)
W		Water Reactive - Substance poses a potential hazard if water is used for fire fighting
OX		Oxidizing Agent - Substance may increase the rate of combustion of other materials

Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) Safety Programs & Emergency Response Guides

Interpretation of NFPA Hazard Rating Indices

Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)
Safety Programs & Emergency Response Guides