Federal and state regulations require that employers train millions of US workers about the risks of hazardous chemicals to which they are exposed on the job, including how to access information on multi-page Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs). Many employers are also required to communicate information about hazardous chemicals to the public for environmental release monitoring and to prepare for emergency response to community endangering accidental releases of hazardous chemicals and at hazardous waste sites. Previous research has identified limitations in communicating the information in MSDS. As they increasingly contain information useful to multiple users, MSDSs have become longer, and more difficult to use. Little effort has been made to tailor the structure and format of MSDSs to the multiple needs of different users. We propose to investigate a method of structuring and communicating the information contained on MSDSs according to various users' needs, capabilities, and skills. We will build on adult literacy research previously carried out by proposed subcontractor, Educational Testing Service, Inc. From the varying practices and proficiencies of MSDS users we will also identify criteria for prototyping a computer-adaptive multimedia system for presenting chemical risk and risk related information to multiple users of varying needs and abilities.
