The need for maintaining SDS and its challenges
All manufacturers, importers, suppliers, or employer are required to check the accuracy of a Safety Data Sheet based on the actual circumstances and update it as needed. A Safety Data Sheet is required to be reviewed at least every 3 years. The record’s of SDS updates such as content, date, version and revision date shall be kept for 3 years. Main purposes of an SDS is to provide: Identification for the product and supplier. Information on hazards, steps you can take to work safely to reduce or prevent exposure to hazardous chemicals. It reflects immediate and appropriate responses in various situations, such as, first-aid, fire, accidental release) Due to workplace hazards, chemical hazards, and chemicals in the workplace, SDS updating is extremely important. SDS should be constantly updated for the safe workplace and for the safe environment. Safety Data Sheets are used for employees who may be exposed to potential hazardous products at work, employers who needs to be aware of the proper storage methods for potential hazardous products, and emergency responders such as firefighters, hazardous material crews, emergency medical technicians, etc. One way that consumers and workers are informed of the risks is by use of Safety Data Sheets. It is a document that provides workers with procedures for safe handling, safe transport and safety measures while working with a hazardous substance. SDS (Safety Data Sheet) authoring services provide SDS revisions, SDS updates, SDS data changes, and other type of SDS updates according to the SDS requirements and current SDS standards. Role of SDS in minimizing the risks to meet regulatory compliance: When working with hazardous materials, it is important to know the specific nature of the dangers that are posed by handling or being exposed to those materials. This also means it is important to identify and differentiate one hazardous material from another in order to effectively apply precautionary measures. Section 2 on SDS identifies the risks and hazards associated with the material and communicates the ways in which the material may be dangerous, as well as some guidelines for safely using the material. SDS allows the user to identify which chemicals are the principal contributors to the GHS Hazard Classifications. Thus users can be informed to implement specific procedures or protective equipment to use to mitigate those risks. As such, having an SDS at workplace with chemicals minimize the risk on hazards. And preparing or evaluating SDS becomes an important skill. Talk to our SDS specialist to overcome challenges with SDS management.
Difference between SDS and eSDS
SDS is known as Safety Data Sheet: The Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals is internationally accepted and contains a standard specification for safety data sheets and SDS follows a 16 section format. SDS contains information such as the properties of each chemical; the physical, health and environmental hazards, safety precautions and protective measures for handling, storing, and transporting the chemical. It guides the user for each specific chemical on things such as: First aid procedures Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Spill clean-up procedures Laboratories, facilities, research institutes or shops that use chemicals must obtain an SDS that is specific to each chemical used in the workplace. SDSs can be stored electronically or as paper copies. SDSs are prepared for each chemical having both hazardous and non-hazardous nature. SDSs are prepared for both substance and mixtures. eSDS is known as Extended Safety Data Sheet: The updated SDS after 16 section is called extended Safety Data Sheet or eSDS. eSDS includes information on different Exposure scenarios. An ‘Exposure Scenario’ is the set of conditions, including operational conditions and risk management measures, which describe how the substance is manufactured or used during its life-cycle and how the manufacturer or importer controls, or recommends downstream users to control, exposures of humans and the environment. A relevant exposure scenario should be included as annex to the safety data sheet of a substance when a company in the supply chain has carried out a chemical safety assessment under REACH. eSDS is prepared only for Hazardous substances. eSDS is only required for substances that are sold in quantities of more than 10 tonnes per year and are classified as hazardous. Do you want to learn more about being compliant SDS regulations? Talk to our Global Compliance Specialists today!
MSDS Software Compliance with GHS and REACH
Material safety data sheet is a safety data sheet that is provided to a chemical manufacturer or distributor that has all the information about hazardous chemicals written down on them. It provides health and safety information about products that are classified as hazardous. These sheets help in making risk assessment as required by the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH). GHS is the Global Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals. This was given by the UN where it classifies and defines the hazards of chemical products and communicates health and safety measures. Only countries that have adopted GHS are eligible to call it Safety Data Sheet (SDS). A GHS SDS is required when a substance or mixture meets the criteria of the GHS classification criteria. There are 16 sections in the GHS safety data sheet. More information about it can be found on the EuPhrac site. In case of REACH, the Annex II of EU Regulation has mandated what information should/should not be included in the MSDS. For substances that are sold in quantities of more than 10 tons per year and are classified as dangerous, Exposure Scenarios describing how a substance can be safely handled to control exposures to both human health and the environment shall be appendixes to SDS, forming extended safety data sheets (eSDS). This new SDS/eSDS is known as “REACH SDS”. It is necessary to supply the customers with the new REACH SDS mandate before the supply of the chemicals but only hazardous ones. It is not required for the non-hazardous ones. There are some major changes that have been made with regard to the new REACH SDS. They are mentioned below: Section 1: Identification of substance or mixture and company: i. Registration No. is required (when available); ii. Identified uses of the substance/mixture is added; iii. E-mail address of competent person is needed; Section 2: Hazards identification: i. Distinguish between mixtures that are and are not hazardous; ii. Mention other hazards that do not result in classification (e.g., dustiness, ozone depletion); iii. Classification as in Title V CLP and DSD Section 15: Regulatory information: i. Indicate if CSA has been carried out; ii. Indicate if substance subject to authorization/restriction; Listed above is some information on the new REACH and GHS MSDS rules. For further information about GHS and REACH contact our team at ComplianceXL and be compliant as applicable.
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