Employee Right-to-Know; Hazard Communication

List of Potential Hazardous Substances at St. Olaf College:  

• St. Olaf College Chemical Inventory.
  • Chemicals used by St. Olaf employees can be found online in the St. Olaf College SDS Database.
  • The database can be searched by (1) substance name or (2) functional use of the product within an Administrative Unit (e.g., Facilities … Custodial Services … Disinfectants).
  • Instructions for navigating the online database

Safety Information

• Employees can access the St. Olaf College SDS Database to look up a chemical’s hazardous characteristics, as well as learn about proper PPE, spill clean up, and signs & symptoms of overexposure.
• GHS review page
  • Building Services GHS Summary table
  • Custodial Services GHS Summary Table
  • Engineering Services GHS Summary Table
  • Grounds GHS Summary table

Other Useful Chemical Hazard Identification sites:

• Minnesota OSHA Permissible Exposure Limits.  An employee’s exposure to any substance listed in Table Z-1-A shall not exceed the Time Weighted Average, Short Term Exposure Limit, and Ceiling Limit for that substance.
• Toxic Substances Portal.  Easy to understand descriptions of chemicals, including health effects, the most likely exposure routes, and how it might affect your health.
• WISER.  Designed to assist emergency responders but useful for anyone.  A downloadable smartphone app is also available.
• Emergency Response Guidebook.  Designed to assist emergency responders but useful for anyone.  (US Dept of Transportation)
• Partial List of Incompatible Chemicals (Reactive Hazards).  A valuable reference table that provides numerous examples of chemicals that should not be mixed together.

Potential Physical Hazards at St. Olaf College:

• Noise at or above 85 decibels (db) averaged over eight hours
• Ionizing Radiation and Non-Ionizing Radiation
• Heat Stress
• Cold Stress
• Excessive Vibration

Useful Hazard Identification sites:

• Physical Agent Data Sheets (PADS).  Health effects, exposure limits, and protective measures for physical hazards, including heat & cold stress, excessive noise, hand-arm vibration, nonionizing radiation.

Potential Infectious Agents at St. Olaf College:

• Bloodborne Pathogens
• Field Acquired Diseases (e.g., transmitted by mosquito or tick)
• Laboratory Acquired Infections
• The Four Types of Infectious Agents; How They Spread