Are your SDSs right?

The UK Chemical Business Association (CBA) has introduced a safety data sheet (SDS) checking service to help companies meet the December 1 deadline for the new format. To meet new requirements under the Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP) Directive and the REACH legislation in Europe, SDSs will have to have an additional 47 mandatory headings, meaning that 63 separate pieces of information will be required. Each data field will have to be completed and not left blank.

“Safety Data Sheets have become significantly more complex and companies will now be held liable for the accuracy and completeness of information they contain,” says Peter Newport, CBA director. “Many supply chain companies are already experiencing pressure from downstream users seeking information on when a product will be reclassified and when a new SDS will become available.”

The CBA Compliance Service makes the Association’s expertise available to check, authorise and verify new-format SDSs against the REACH criteria. The service is priced at £250 per SDS, with discounts available for high volume customers. “Recent research has revealed that around 20 per cent of all SDSs fail to meet the new language and format regulations,” Newport adds. “As a result, regulators are likely to target SDS compliance.”

www.chemical.org.uk