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Hazardous substance – the name itself is an indication of how much one should be cautious while handling it. In reality, proper hazardous materials management is a dire necessity not only at workplaces but also at homes. Any laxity in handling the items may turn out to be disastrous. Still, some are daring enough not to pay attention to any warning and go with their don’t-care attitude. A few examples are enough to prove that a very few are really chary about the dangers associated with hazardous materials. So they take proper care of hazardous materials management to avert dangers. At workplaces as well as homes, we often forget to label the bottles that contain hazardous substance. Moreover, these bottles are quite similar to other general bottles in look. So, if an individual takes a sip from one of them, it will endanger his life. Even the bulky containers storing dangerous substances are rarely tagged with proper labels. Often an incompatible substance is placed in the same container and dispatched. No body thinks of what sort of danger will happen to the drivers and others on the way to destinations. All this clearly demonstrates the lack of attitude of some towards understanding the importance of hazardous materials management. Keeping the hazards at bay at the workstations is the responsibility of both parties – employers as well as employees. The task of hazardous materials management is not an easy one. On the contrary, it involves several complexities and consumes time too. Still, these should be done at any cost for the safety of the workers and to prevent any sort of damage to the valuable materials of an establishment. The authority of an organization should take some steps and the workers should also abide by the instructions to give a wide birth to any danger. The first and foremost step of hazardous materials management is identifying the hazardous substances. An urgent initiative should be taken to label the containers that store the hazardous items. The workers should take scrupulous care not to store the incompatible substances in the same container. Appointing a hazardous materials consultant makes a good sense as the person can guide the workers how to accomplish the job of hazardous materials management with care, ease and efficiency. A short time training session can be arranged periodically within the office premise. It will help the workers be aware of the degree of danger associated with mishandling of the hazardous materials. The hazardous materials consultant will also teach them how to master the art of hazardous materials management. While purchasing hazardous items, make sure to obtain a material safety data sheet from the supplier. You should also get the sheet updated every five years to keep the correct and current information. Hand over a xerox sheet of MSDS to the workers in charge of dealing with the hazardous substances. Keep the original one with you. Risk assessment for every hazardous substance is a need and it is the part and parcel of hazardous materials management. Making an assessment of the risks beforehand, will help you minimize the possible hazards. Conforming to the strict rules and regulations to avoid the hazards may be an added responsibility, but life is so precious that one should not pull a long face over doing that. Author Bio: Steve Decosta is a freelancer. He writes articles on hazardous materials management and hazardous materials consultant. For more information on them he suggest to visit http://www.learnhazmat.com/.
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