A material safety data sheet, safety data sheet, or product safety data sheet is an
important component of product stewardship and occupational safety and health.
It is intended to provide workers and emergency personnel with procedures for handling or
working with that substance in a safe manner, and includes information such as physical
data, toxicity, health effects, first aid, reactivity, storage, disposal, protective
equipment, and spill-handling procedures.
MSDS formats can vary from source to source within a country depending on national requirements.
SDSs are a widely used system for cataloging information on chemicals, chemical compounds,
and chemical mixtures.
SDS information may include instructions for the safe use and potential hazards associated
with a particular material or product.
These data sheets can be found anywhere where chemicals are being used.
There is also a duty to properly label substances on the basis of physico-chemical, health and/or
environmental risk.
Labels can include hazard symbols such as the European Union standard black diagonal
cross on an orange background, used to denote a harmful substance.
An SDS for a substance is not primarily intended for use by the general consumer, focusing
instead on the hazards of working with the material in an occupational setting.
In some jurisdictions, the MSDS is required to state the chemical's risks, safety, and
effect on the environment.
It is important to use an MSDS specific to both country and supplier, as the same product
can have different formulations in different countries.
The formulation and hazard of a product using a generic name may vary between manufacturers
in the same country.
National and international requirements Canada
In Canada, the program known as the Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System establishes
the requirements for MSDS's in workplaces and is administered federally by Health Canada
under the Hazardous Products Act, Part II, and the Controlled Products Regulations.
WHMIS and MSDS requirements are also enforced by provincial Ministries or Departments of
Labour.
European Union Safety data sheets have been made an integral
part of the system of Regulation No 1907/2006.
The original requirements of REACH for SDSs have been further adapted to take into account
the rules for safety data sheets of the Global Harmonised System and the implementation of
other elements of the GHS into EU legislation that were introduced by Regulation No 1272/2008
via an update to Annex II of REACH.
The SDS follows a 16 section format which is internationally agreed and for substances
especially, the SDS should be followed with an Annex which contains the exposure scenarios
of this particular substance.
The SDS must be supplied in an official language of the Member State(s) where the substance
or mixture is placed on the market, unless the Member State(s) concerned provide(s) otherwise
of REACH).
The 16 sections are: SECTION 1: Identification of the substance/mixture
and of the company/undertaking 1.1.
Product identifier 1.2.
Relevant identified uses of the substance or mixture and uses advised against
1.3.
Details of the supplier of the safety data sheet
1.4.
Emergency telephone number
SECTION 2: Hazards identification 2.1.
Classification of the substance or mixture 2.2.
Label elements 2.3.
Other hazards
SECTION 3: Composition/information on ingredients 3.1.
Substances 3.2.
Mixtures
SECTION 4: First aid measures 4.1.
Description of first aid measures 4.2.
Most important symptoms and effects, both acute and delayed
4.3.
Indication of any immediate medical attention and special treatment needed
SECTION 5: Firefighting measures 5.1.
Extinguishing media 5.2.
Special hazards arising from the substance or mixture
5.3.
Advice for firefighters
SECTION 6: Accidental release measures 6.1.
Personal precautions, protective equipment and emergency procedures
6.2.
Environmental precautions 6.3.
Methods and material for containment and cleaning up
6.4.
Reference to other sections
SECTION 7: Handling and storage 7.1.
Precautions for safe handling 7.2.
Conditions for safe storage, including any incompatibilities
7.3.
Specific end use(s)
SECTION 8: Exposure controls/personal protection 8.1.
Control parameters 8.2.
Exposure controls
SECTION 9: Physical and chemical properties 9.1.
Information on basic physical and chemical properties
9.2.
Other information
SECTION 10: Stability and reactivity 10.1.
Reactivity 10.2.
Chemical stability 10.3.
Possibility of hazardous reactions 10.4.
Conditions to avoid 10.5.
Incompatible materials 10.6.
Hazardous decomposition products
SECTION 11: Toxicological information 11.1.
Information on toxicological effects
SECTION 12: Ecological information 12.1.
Toxicity 12.2.
Persistence and degradability 12.3.
Bioaccumulative potential 12.4.
Mobility in soil 12.5.
Results of PBT and vPvB assessment 12.6.
Other adverse effects
SECTION 13: Disposal considerations 13.1.
Waste treatment methods
SECTION 14: Transport information 14.1.
UN number 14.2.
UN proper shipping name 14.3.
Transport hazard class(es) 14.4.
Packing group 14.5.
Environmental hazards 14.6.
Special precautions for user 14.7.
Transport in bulk according to Annex II of MARPOL73/78 and the IBC Code
SECTION 15: Regulatory information 15.1.
Safety, health and environmental regulations/legislation specific for the substance or mixture
15.2.
Chemical safety assessment
SECTION 16: Other information The European Chemicals Agency has published
a guidance document on the compilation of safety data sheets.
Germany The German Federal Water Management Act requires
that substances be evaluated for negative influence on the physical, chemical or biological
characteristics of water.
These are classified into numeric water hazard classes.
WGK nwg: Non-water polluting substance WGK 1: Slightly water polluting substance
WGK 2: Water polluting substance WGK 3: Highly water polluting substance
The Netherlands Dutch Safety Data Sheets are well known as
veiligheidsinformatieblad nl:Veiligheidsinformatieblad or Chemiekaarten.
This is a collection of Safety Data Sheets of the most widely used chemicals.
The Chemiekaarten boek is commercially available, but also made available through educational
institutes, such as the web site offered by the university of Groningen
United Kingdom In the U.K., the Chemicals Regulations 2002
- known as CHIP Regulations - impose duties upon suppliers, and importers into the EU,
of hazardous materials.
NOTE: Safety data sheets are no longer covered by the CHIP regulations.
The laws that require a SDS to be provided have been transferred to the European REACH
Regulations.
http:www.hse.gov.uk The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health
Regulations govern the use of hazardous substances in the workplace in the UK and specifically
require an assessment of the use of a substance.
Regulation 12 requires that an employer provides employees with information, instruction and
training for people exposed to hazardous substances.
This duty would be very nearly impossible without the data sheet as a starting point.
It is important for employers therefore to insist on receiving a data sheet from a supplier
of a substance.
The duty to supply information is not confined to informing only business users of products.
MSDSs for retail products sold by large DIY shops are usually obtainable on those companies'
web sites.
Web sites of manufacturers and large suppliers do not always include them even if the information
is obtainable from retailers but written or telephone requests for paper copies will usually
be responded to favourably.
United Nations The United Nations defines certain details
used in SDSs such as the UN numbers used to identify some hazardous materials in a standard
form while in international transit.
United States In the U.S., the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration requires that MSDSs be available to employees for potentially harmful substances
handled in the workplace under the Hazard Communication regulation.
The MSDS is also required to be made available to local fire departments and local and state
emergency planning officials under Section 311 of the Emergency Planning and Community
Right-to-Know Act.
The American Chemical Society defines Chemical Abstracts Service Registry Numbers which provide
a unique number for each chemical and are also used internationally in MSDSs.
Reviews of material safety data sheets by the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation
Board have detected dangerous deficiencies.
The board’s Combustible Dust Hazard Study analyzed 140 data sheets of substances capable
of producing combustible dusts.
None of the MSDSs contained all the information the board said was needed to work with the
material safely, and 41 percent failed to even mention that the substance was combustible.
As part of its study of an explosion and fire that destroyed the Barton Solvents facility
in Valley Center, Kansas, in 2007, the safety board reviewed 62 material safety data sheets
for commonly used nonconductive flammable liquids.
As in the combustible dust study, the board found all the data sheets inadequate.
SDS authoring Many companies offer the service of collecting,
or writing and revising, data sheets to ensure they are up to date and available for their
subscribers or users.
Some jurisdictions impose an explicit duty of care that each SDS be regularly updated,
usually every three to five years.
However, when new information becomes available, the SDS must be revised without delay.
See also Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and
Safety European Agency for Safety and Health at Work
Fact sheet Globally Harmonized System of Classification
and Labelling of Chemicals International Chemical Safety Card
Materials database Msdsonline
Risk and Safety Statements UK Health and Safety Executive
References
External links MSDS Glossary
MSDS Search Engine