Safety Data Sheet Copy

• A safety data sheet (SDS) is a document that must be provided to you with all hazardous chemicals.
• Safety data sheets (SDSs) provide useful information on chemicals, describing the hazards the chemical presents, and giving information on handling, storage and emergency measures in case of an accident.
• It provides useful information on the chemical hazards, advice on safe handling, use and storage, and the emergency measures to be followed in case of an accident.
• You must have a SDS for each hazardous chemical that you use. If you don’t, contact the supplier, who is required to give you one.
• You should keep your SDSs in a clearly identified place where they can be easily accessed by your employees and by emergency services – they will require these sheets when they attend a chemical incident.
• You should make sure all your employees know where the SDS’s are stored and that they have read and understood them, if required.

Safety Data Sheet must:

• Contain 16 Headings
• Be prepared by a competent person.
• Be specific to the chemical.
• Be clear and understandable.
• Be provided free of charge.
• Be provided no later than at the time of first delivery.
• Be provided upon update or revision to everyone who has received the chemical during the previous 12 months.
• Be dated and the pages numbered.
• Updated when new information on the chemical becomes available or when an authorisation is granted or refused or a relevant restriction is imposed under REACH

Safety Data Sheets must be provided for:

• Chemicals classified as hazardous in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 on the classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures (CLP)
• Substances meeting the criteria as persistent, bio-accumulative and toxic (PBT) or very persistent very bio-accumulative (vPvB) to the environment in
  accordance with REACH
• Substances which appear on the (EUROPEAN’s CHEMICAL AGENCY) ECHA’s Candidate List of substances of very high concern (SVHC) for a reason other than either of the two points above
• Mixtures (upon request of the downstream user/distributor) which themselves are not classified under CLP but which contain at least one substance that is:
  •  classified as hazardous to health or the environment above concentration limits set out in Article 31(3) of REACH;
  • a PBT or vPvB at a concentration ≥0.1% w/w;
  • on the Candidate List of SVHCs at a concentration ≥0.1% w/w for a reason other than either of the two points above;
  • assigned an EU limit value for exposure at the workplace (OELV) Occupational Exposure Limit Value.

  • THE SAFETY DATA SHEET MUST CONTAIN THE FOLLOWING 16 HEADINGS:

    1. Identification of the substance
    2. Hazards Identification
    3. Composition/information on ingredients
    4. First Aid measures
    5. Fire-fighting measures
    6. Accidental Release measures
    7. Handling & Storage
    8. Exposure Controls/Personal Protection
    9. Physical & Chemical Properties
    10. Stability and Reactivity
    11. Toxicological information
    12. Ecological information
    13. Disposal Considerations
    14. Transport Information
    15. Regulatory Information
    16. Other Information

    

    See example of SDS sheet here

THE SDS PLAYS A NUMBER OF ROLES IN MANAGING THE SAFE USE OF CHEMICALS IN YOUR WORKPLACE:

• It ensures the product is being used as intended by the manufacturer or importer.
• It is a key tool for risk assessment as it includes detailed hazard information.
• It provides options for appropriate controls measures and procedures to be applied.
• Sufficient information should be provided to select the necessary Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and to develop necessary emergency procedures.
• It may be used as the basis of a training program for workers as it covers hazards, information on safe handling and storage and emergency procedures.
• Workplace monitoring and health surveillance strategies may often be based on advice contained in the SDS.

Download the Safety Matters  Safety Data Sheets Poster here

SAFETY DATA SHEET LABELS

Chemicals should be supplied with a label attached to the container. The label gives information on the chemical or product name, the chemical hazards and the precautions you should take into account to ensure safe use. Labels should be classified using the CPL regulations.

CONTENTS OF LABEL

• The name, address and telephone of the supplier.
• The CAS number (number which every chemical is identified by)
• Description of the hazards of the chemical
• The quantity of the contents.