Safety data sheet

Extract from a safety data sheet

Safety Data Sheets ( MSDS ) or Safety Data Sheets ( SDS ), and material safety data sheets ( MSDS called), are intended to give safety information on substances and mixtures. They are intended to provide the professional user with the necessary data and recommendations for handling substances and mixtures in order to be able to take the measures required for health protection, safety at the workplace and the protection of the environment.

history

The structure and content of the safety data sheet was first described in DIN 52900: 1983-02 DIN safety data sheet for chemical substances and preparations; Form and instructions for completing are provided.

At the European level, the content of the safety data sheet was changed from 1991 to May 31, 2007 by Directive 91/155 / EEC in conjunction with national laws (in Germany, for example, in the Hazardous Substances Ordinance and the associated Technical Rule for Hazardous Substances (TRGS) 220 "Safety Data Sheet") regulated.

Since June 1, 2007, the creation, dissemination and storage of safety data sheets for all EU member states has been anchored in the REACH regulation under Title IV - Information in the supply chain . The content of the safety data sheet is regulated in detail in Annex II of the REACH Regulation (EC) No. 1907/2006. Annex II was last amended by Regulation (EU) 2015/830.

National requirements, which should be taken into account when creating safety data sheets, are described in Technical Rules for Hazardous Substances (TRGS) 220 "National aspects when creating safety data sheets".

purpose

In countries of the European Union as well as in many other countries, such data sheets must be made available by the supplier, importer and manufacturer of dangerous classified substances , of dangerous classified preparations or mixtures , and of preparations / mixtures that contain dangerous classified substances above certain concentration limits become. Safety data sheets are often created on a voluntary basis for chemical substances, mixtures and products classified as non- hazardous in order to inform the customer of the products about certain properties.

As part of the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals ( GHS ) program, there is an international guideline for the creation of safety data sheets.

transmission

In general, the safety data sheets serve to pass on information within the supply chain according to REACH . The private end consumer is not part of this chain. This means that only industrial and commercial users are entitled to the safety data sheet. The safety data sheet must be made available free of charge in the official language of the country at the latest when it is first delivered.

Update

Due to the new version of Annex II of the REACH regulation by Regulation (EU) 2015/830, existing safety data sheets for substances and mixtures had to be updated by May 31, 2017. The REACH regulation as such does not contain any fixed times for continuous testing and updating by the supplier. However, it requests an immediate update as soon as possible

new information that may have an impact on the risk management measures, or new information about hazards becomes available,
approval has been granted or refused, or
a restriction was imposed.

The new version of the safety data sheet must be sent to all customers to whom the supplier has delivered the chemical in the previous twelve months.

Archiving

Safety data sheets must be retained by every actor in the supply chain for ten years since they were last used.

Structure and content

The information should be written concisely. The language should be simple, clear and precise. The use of technical language, abbreviations or acronyms should be avoided.

The date of creation or revision must be indicated on the first page. If necessary, this should be supplemented by a version number. All pages of the safety data sheet must be numbered consecutively.

The safety data sheet must contain the following 16 sections as well as the subsections listed below, with the exception of section 3, where subsection 3.1 or 3.2 must be included depending on the case.

SECTION 1: Identification of the substance or mixture and of the company
- 1.1. Product identifier
- 1.2. Relevant identified uses of the substance or mixture and uses advised against
- 1.3. Details of the supplier providing the safety data sheet
- 1.4. Emergency number
SECTION 2: Hazards Identification
- 2.1. Classification of the substance or mixture
- 2.2. Label elements
- 2.3. Other dangers
SECTION 3: Composition / information on ingredients
- 3.1. Fabrics
- 3.2. Mixtures
SECTION 4: First aid measures
- 4.1. Description of the first aid measures
- 4.2. Most important symptoms and effects, both acute and delayed
- 4.3. Indication of immediate medical attention or special treatment
SECTION 5: Fire fighting measures
- 5.1. Extinguishing agent
- 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 protection measures
- 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 uses
SECTION 8: Exposure controls / personal protection
- 8.1. Control parameters
- 8.2. Limitation and monitoring of exposure
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 the PBT and vPvB assessment
- 12.6. Other harmful 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 classes
- 14.4. Packing group
- 14.5. Environmental hazards
- 14.6. Special precautionary measures for the 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

If hazardous substances are used in companies, operating instructions may have to be drawn up and made available to employees at any time.

Group safety data sheet

Not for individual substances, but for their mixtures, it can make sense to group different mixtures with similar or the same hazard potential and to create a common safety data sheet for this group . This has the advantage that fewer safety data sheets have to be created or updated. The paint industry offers a specific example, where a paint base material is used in similar concentrations in addition to color pigment and various hazardous substance components. A single safety data sheet is sufficient here, for example.

Extended safety data sheet

The extended safety data sheet (eSDS) consists of the safety data sheet and an appendix with one or more exposure scenarios that the Regulation (EC) No. 1907/2006 REACH prescribes for all substances that

are produced or imported in quantities of more than 10 tons / year and
persistently bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT) and / or
very persistent and very bioaccumulative (vPvB) and / or
are dangerous according to Regulation (EC) No. 1272/2008. The following hazard classes are excluded:
- Oxidising liquids and solids of cat. 3
- Substances corrosive to metals
- Self-reactive substances type C + D and E + F
- Organic peroxides type G
- Self-heating substances
- Effects on / via lactation
- Substances with narcotic effects
- Gases under pressure

These exposure scenarios must be handed over to the downstream users together with the safety data sheet.

There is no standard format for an eSDS, but ECHA's guidance on information requirements and chemical safety assessment includes a format that can be used. The use of this format is not mandatory, but it makes sense to use a uniform eSDS because of the communication along the supply chain . Efforts are being made to exchange the contents of the SDS and, above all, the eSDS via electronic interfaces and standardized formats (e.g. XML ).

The obligations of the "actors" along the supply chain

It is mandatory to pass on the eSDS for the respective hazardous substance along the supply chain . The manufacturer / importer is obliged to create the eSDS. A supplier has to pass it on to his customers.

literature

Gabriele Janssen : The safety data sheet according to REACH and TRGS 220. What creators and users need to know. 8th edition. ecomed Sicherheit, Landsberg 2019, ISBN 978-3-609-65667-0 .

Reinhold Rühl, Georg Hamm: Safety Data Sheets - Instructions for Safe Use? In: UWSF - Journal for Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology. 18, 3, ISSN 0934-3504 , pp. 201-206.

Juergen Fluck, Markus Wintterle: Legal issues of the safety data sheet . Lexxion, Berlin 2006, ISBN 3-936232-66-0 ( Berliner Stoffrechtliche Schriften 4).

Gabriele Janssen : Last minute: Why the regulations for the safety data sheet have been changed again , In: Hazardous Substances Actual , 6 (2015), ISSN 1865-231X p. 4–5

Registration office for chemicals: The safety data sheet in Switzerland based on the complete revision of the ChemV valid from December 1, 2015 , 2017.