Creation and maintenance of Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)

The material safety data sheet (MSDS) is an important communication tool to provide information about hazards and risks of substances and mixtures. Main topic of the MSDS is the standardization of classification and labelling, as specified in section 2. The global harmonised system (GHS) is implemented in Europe by the CLP Regulation (EC) 1272/2008 and was designed to harmonise the classification and labelling of chemical substances and mixtures in terms of their health-related, environmental and physicochemical hazards. The MSDS requirements are regulated in Article 31 of the REACh Regulation (EC) 1907/2006 and Annex I and II of the amending Regulation (EU) 453/2010.

The preparation of a material safety data sheet is obligatory, if one of the following criteria applies:

• classification of the substance or mixture as hazardous according to Regulation (EC) no. 1272/2008 and if Directives 67/548 / EEC (material) or 1999/45 / EC (mixture) are met, respectively
• the mixture contains at least one hazardous substance posing a health or environmental risk with an individual concentration of ≥ 1% (non-gas) or ≥ 0.2% (gas)
• the substance is persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT) or very persistent and very bioaccumulative (vPvB), or the mixture of substances (non-gas) contains such a substance in a concentration of ≥ 0.1%
• an occupational exposure limit value exists for the substance or a mixture containing one or more corresponding substances

The distributor of a substance or composition is responsible for ensuring that the material safety data sheet fulfils the technical requirements and is complete. The material safety data sheet must be regularly updated to reflect the current state of the art, especially when new information on hazards becomes available.

An extended safety data sheet includes an appendix in which the applications are presented. It must be assembled for substances for which a chemical safety assessment and exposure assessment has been executed. Accordingly, it is necessary for hazardous substances that have been registered with ≥ 10 t per year. Here the registrant or supplier has to create an extended MSDS and to provide it to downstream users.

Our consulting and support services

• Consultancy concerning all questions about the material safety data sheet
• Dismay analysis
• Creation of MSDSs in accordance with REACh and CLP
• Creation of extended MSDSs in accordance with REACh and CLP
• Translation of MSDSs into 22 official EU languages
• Creation of MSDSs for non-EU countries by our cooperation partners
• Revision of your MSDSs regarding to legal requirements as well as completeness and plausibility of the included information
• Revision of the Dangerous Goods Classification (ADR) in section 14
• Consulting and preparation of product labels according to the CLP Regulation