SDS for Chemical and Pharmaceutical Industry
A Safety Data Sheet (formerly called Material Safety Data Sheet) is a detailed informational document prepared by the manufacturer or importer of a hazardous chemical. It describes the physical and chemical properties of the product. SDS contains useful information such as toxicological properties, flash point, procedures for spills and leaks, handling and storage guidelines, and exposure control, transportation guidelines, fire Hazards and first aid measures. SDS sheets are created for a variety of hazards materials and chemicals including all compressed gases, flammable and combustible liquids, oxidizing materials, poisonous or infectious material, corrosive material and dangerously reactive materials. The Hazard Communication Standard by WHS, requires chemical manufacturers, pharmaceutical industry, distributors, and importers to provide new Safety Data Sheets in a uniform format that includes the section numbers, headings, and associated information below. Section I. Identification Section II. Hazardous Identification Section III. Composition Information Section IV. First-Aid Measures Section V. Fire-Fighting Measures Section VI. Accidental release measures Section VII. Handling and Storage Section VIII. Exposure Controls and Personal Protection Section IX. Physical and Chemical Properties Section X. Stability and Reactivity Section XI. Toxicological Information Section XII. Ecological Information Section XIII. Disposal Considerations Section XIV. Transport Information Section XV. Regulatory Information Section XVI. Other Information Important Objectives of Safety in Chemical and Pharmaceutical Industries. The purpose of the Material Safety Data Sheet information is to convey chemical safety and hazard information to the end user (employees exposed to hazardous chemicals, employees who store dangerous chemicals, and emergency responders such as: firefighters, hazardous material crews, and emergency medical technicians). Provides essential information of the provider along with the chemical name and its recommended uses SDS provides basic understanding to the workers, the harmful effects of industrial hazards. SDS defines the basic relationship between hazard and risk. SDS focuses on type of toxicity on the environment by industrial hazards. It provides knowledge on the most toxic environmental hazardous substances. SDS provides valuable information about possible chances of accidents due to spills, leaks or releases to prevent loss of life and permanent disability of any industrial employee, any damage to machine and material as it leads to the loss to the whole establishment. It includes containment and cleanup practices to prevent or minimize exposure to people, properties, or the environment. SDS provides First-aid information for initial care that should be given by untrained responders to an individual who has been exposed to the chemical. SDS provides guidance on the safe handling practices and conditions for safe storage of chemicals, including incompatibilities. SDS eliminates accidents that cause work stoppage and production loss, reduces workman’s compensation, insurance rate and all the cost of accidents. This increase production means to a higher standard of living. SDS provides basic education to all members regarding the safety principles to avoid accidents in industry. SDS is required to achieve better morale of the industrial employees. Information in regards to when the SDS was prepared or when the last known revision was made and where the changes have been made to the previous version may be provided. To conclude that knowing and understanding the risk of hazardous facility and hazard release are the most important segments of an optimal pharmaceutical safety management. An effective hazard and risk assessment allows development of effective action plan and implement strategies and tactics. Talk to our MSDS Expert
It’s time to update your SDS for REACH
1st June 2015 is the deadline for manufacturers to update all their MSDS to SDS and today, just a few days away from the deadline, we thought it would be useful to share some our thoughts about the importance of SDS in REACH and the need for its updation. SDS and its importance in REACH REACH Regulation has been implemented by European Union to control the use of hazardous substances in the EU market for protecting human health and the environment. REACH obligates everyone in the supply chain to communicate freely about the substances they use, particularly with respect to substances that can cause any hazards to human health and the environment. REACH mandates this communication to occur through the supply chain both upstream and downstream. To enable free flow of communication between suppliers and downstream users in all stages of the REACH process Safety Data Sheets (SDS) are used. Since SDS is the vital component of GHS, they are intended to provide all necessary information about physical and chemical data of a substance/mixture for its safe use in any application. To maintain their products in the EU market, manufacturers, importers, distributors, and downstream users must make sure that their SDS for substances and mixtures comply with the requirements of REACH. As per GHS, an SDS should be prepared for substances and mixtures which meet the criteria for physical, health or environmental hazards. SDS should also be prepared for all mixtures that contain carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic to reproduction elements in concentrations exceeding the threshold limit specified for SDS. In such cases of preparation of SDS, the following should be included: Information about the properties of the substance/ mixture Information on its hazards Instructions for transport Safety measures- instructions for safe use, disposal and exposure control This information should be included in the main body of SDS or in the section for additional exposure scenarios. In case there is a requirement to provide an SDS, it must be provided free of charge to anyone who has received or requested an SDS. SDS can be provided on paper or electronically. SDS should be provided either before or at the time of first delivery of the substance or mixture. The SDS should be immediately updated if new information on hazards or risk management measures is made available. SDS must be updated as early as possible when: Any latest information on hazards becomes available Any latest information on risk management measures becomes available Details of authorizations granted or refused Details of any restrictions imposed SDS issued after registration must also include the registration number. With GHS alignment, each package of a classified hazardous chemical should be labeled or marked with the following elements: Product or chemical identifier that matches the product or chemical identifier on the SDS Contact information of the product or chemical supplier Hazard Pictograms Signal words Hazard statements Precautionary information Transition of Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) to Safety Data Sheet (SDS) Material safety data sheet (MSDS), which OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) calls a “one-stop resource for everything you might need or want to know about a chemical”, is the cornerstone of OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard (HCS). OSHA revised the HCS to align with the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS) to help manage the risks associated with chemicals in the workplace with the help of the new SDS. The intention behind GHS is to harmonize classification criteria and hazard communication tools at regional, national, and worldwide level. Due to this, OSHA adopted United Nations’ GHS and brought substantial changes to MSDS. This led to the formulation of SDS.OSHA further decided to standardize the 16 section format with a required ordering of sections for SDS as a mandate. Hence, REACH SDS now includes these rules that are in line with GHS to help manage the risks associated with chemicals. Annex II of the REACH Regulation provides the detailed requirements and format of SDS for substances and mixtures. Over the past 3 years UN’s GHS format for SDS has received global acceptance, leading to implementation of GHS in the European Union and Asian manufacturing nations like Korea, China and Japan. SDS was formerly named as MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) which was functionally equivalent to the new SDS with a slight format change in the template and content. Below mentioned are a few details about the transition of MSDS. GHS formatted SDS and ANSI Standard 16-section MSDS are nearly identical. One of the major changes is the ‘renaming of material safety data sheets from MSDS to SDS. The other major changes are: 1. As per GHS requirements SDS has a reclassified order for the standard 16 sections. The new order is mentioned below. Identification Hazard(s) Identification Composition/Ingredient Information First-Aid Measures Fire-Fighting Measures Accidental Release Measures Handling and Storage Exposure Control/Personal Protection Physical & Chemical Properties Stability & Reactivity Toxicological Information Ecological Information Disposal Considerations Transport Information Regulatory Information Other Information An SDS needs all 16 sections completed in the above order to become GHS-compliant SDS. SDS needs to represent the hazardous effects of the substance with the use of GHS standard pictograms Inclusion of key words and phrases in the SDS, standardized by GHS Introduction of new GHS labels Need for conducting updated employee trainings Important dates to remember: Manufacturers need to keep track on the following dates to be able to execute successful REACH compliance for their products, in lines with the upgraded version of GHS-SDS. Employers must educate employees on the updated information by December 2013. Manufacturers must update all the MSDS to SDS by June 2015. Employers and end users must have the new GHS-compliant SDS in their workplace for their chemicals by June 2016. Manufacturers should be well prepared by now to replace all of their MSDS with GHS formatted SDS in the next couple of months. By June 1, 2015, Chemical manufacturers and distributors are expected to complete their reclassification of chemicals and should start the shipping of GHS