Let’s Add Safety to the Spring Buying Process

As we mentioned last week, this month may not have a lot of action for your paving and production crews. To continue taking advantage of “office time,” let’s look at the materials you want to stock up on for 2026’s construction season.

For the January issue of AsphaltPro Magazine, the team at Cargill prepared a fact-based article on how to read a safety data sheet (SDS). An SDS is a document OSHA requires certain materials, like asphalt additives, to have. It outlines safety information, as well as environmental information. When you’re comparing products (or re-ordering products you’ve used in the past), the SDS is your starting point to assess the product’s safety profile.

Why would you want to review an SDS for a product you’ve been using for years? Cargill explained that reading (and comparing) the data sheets “can mean the difference between a minor spill and a major incident—both employees and emergency response personnel need to know how to respond quickly and safely to workplace events. That’s why it’s so important to review the SDS before bringing the product on site, not just after something has gone wrong.”

Throughout the article, Cargill authors show how to understand the vital parts of the SDS. It’s worth a review, now while you have the time. Check it out at the link below.

If you have a plant manager or mix design tech who could benefit from this week’s tip, please feel free to forward this to that person!