SDS

The Safety Data Sheet (SDS) has been around for many years as the tool to communicate information on hazard and risk management. The arrival of REACH in 2006 provided the regulators the opportunity to make some changes, not least to align SDS with the emerging global standard being developed as part of the Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling (GHS).

Since then the SDS requirements have evolved further. Do you know what this means to your business?

REACH Annex II

The duty to supply SDS is set out in Articles 31 and 32 of REACH, with the SDS format prescribed in Annex II to REACH. Two main changes to SDS applied from 1 June 2008:

• include contact details and an email address of the compiler
• sections 2 and 3 reversed

With the arrival of CLP and further agreement on the GHS, a revision to the REACH Annex II format was agreed in May 2010. The new format was published in the form of two Annexes (successively changing the SDS format) to Regulation (EC) No. 453/2010, which amended REACH Annex II.

Annex I to Regulation 453/2010 came into force on 1 December 2010, and Annex II was due to take over on 1 June 2015 - the dates corresponding to the start of classification and labelling under CLP for substances and mixtures respectively. However, two conflicting amendments to Annex II to REACH were due to come into force simultaneously on 1 June 2015, one made by Article 59(5) of the CLP Regulation and the other by Regulation 453/2010. Therefore, Commission Regulation (EU) 2015/830 was published to clarify the amendments from 1 June 2015.

In 2020, the European Commission introduced further changes to Annex II (Regulation 2020/878). The Annex II amendments are available here.

REACHReady guidance

Our guidance note gives more information on the SDS requirements to help you understand what you must do and when.

We also run training courses throughout the year on the regulatory and technical changes to SDS. Why not come along to find out more?

Information from REACH

As part of any REACH registration new data may be generated and all the available information on a given substance is assembled. Such information must be used to promote the protection of health and the environment - not just by those companies who have registered but in any and all supply chains.

To promote protection of human health and the environment, ECHA publishes information from substance registration on a publicly accessible Dissemination Portal. This resource allows all users of chemicals to view comprehensive information on the properties of registered substances and how to manage the risks. Whilst this information may not be used for commercial gain by companies without rights to cite the data (e.g. registration without buying a Letter of Access), it may, and indeed should, be used for the purposes of risk management.

All suppliers of hazardous substances, PBT and vPvB substances, and substances otherwise on the Candidate List, must provide their customers with a Safety Data Sheet, and the information on the Dissemination Portal should help companies produce good quality SDS. Suppliers of hazardous substances which have been registered in their supply chain at 10 tonnes or more per year must also provide Exposure Scenarios as part of the extended SDS for the substance.

For mixtures, the Dissemination Portal is one source of information on component substances which may help formulators classify their formulations and therefore prepare any mandated safety data sheets.

You can call our Helpdesk number on +44 (0) 20 7901 1444. Or e-mail us on enquiries@reachready.co.uk.