> perusing various SDS (from different vendors) for the chemicals is always best!
>
A philosophical question:
I see the advice above a fair amount in the general chemistry literature (particularly J Chem Ed articles) and am never sure how random browsing of SDS's adds safety value.

In my opinion, before reading SDS's, it's important to formulate the question(s) to be answered. Examples of such questions could be:
- Which is the most important hazard involved in this work?
- What other hazards impact the precautions to be implemented?
- How critical is the accuracy of the information I'm collecting to answer these questions adequately?

Am I missing something here?