The previous article introduced the national standards, main content, generic format of the SDS. Then, please see below for more details on the specific elements and some common problems when compiling the 16 sections of the SDS.
1. CHEMICAL PRODUCT AND COMPANY IDENTIFICATION | |
Chemical identification | There must be Chinese/English name. |
Company identification | Company name, address, phone number, email |
Emergency phone number | It should be a domestic phone number, 7*24h on service. |
Product use | Recommended use and restrictions on use. |
2. HAZARDS IDENTIFICATION | |
Emergency overview | It should be placed at the beginning of Section 2, using bold fonts or borders; The physical state of the chemicals should be described if necessary; Flammability and explosiveness, serious hazards and toxicity etc. should also be specified. |
GHS Classification | There are 28 classifications of national standards on the basis of the GB 30000 series. |
GHS Label element | Listed separately according to classification on the basis of the GB 30000 series. |
Physical/ Health/ Environmental/Other hazards | The hazards should be correspond to the relevant content in each section. |
3. COMPOSITION/INFORMATION ON INGREDIENTS | |
Substance | Chemical name, CAS No. and other identifiers should be provided. |
Mixture | List the components in descending order of concentration; List the components whose content is not less than the concentration limit in Table 1 of GB/T 17519 (except confidential components); Confidential components may not list the specific name and CAS No., but the hazards should be specified in the relevant sections of the SDS. |
4. FIRST AID MEASURES | |
Description of first aid measures | Inhalation, Skin exposure, Eye exposure, Ingestion |
The most important symptoms and health effects | Acute and delayed effects and main symptoms |
Advice to protect the rescuers | Advice on the self-protection of rescuers |
Note to physician | "No specific antidote" and other words are not recommended |
5. FIRE-FIGHTING MEASURES | |
Extinguishing media | Suitable or unsuitable extinguishing media; Refer to GB17914, GB17915 and GB17916 |
Special hazards and risks | Special hazards in the fire; Harmful combustion products, etc. |
Fire fighting notes and protective measures | Protection of firefighters, Treatment of containers in the fire, Disposal of fire services sewage, etc. |
6. ACCIDENTAL RELEASE MEASURES | |
Personal precautions, protective equipment and emergency procedures | Protective equipment for emergency personnel/ non-emergency personnel; Fire source and leakage control measures; Personnel evacuation, etc. |
Environmental precautions | Recommendations to prevent entry into soil and water bodies |
Methods and materials for containment and cleaning up | Method and equipment for collecting or removing leakage |
Prevention measures for secondary disaster | Eliminate ignition sources and prevent leakage from entering sewers and basements, etc. |
7. HANDLING AND STORAGE | |
Handing | Precautions for safe handling and measures; General hygiene requirements. |
Storage | Safety storage conditions, Safety technical measures; Packaging Materials. |
8. EXPOSURE CONTROLS/PERSONAL PROTECTION | |
Occupation exposure limits/ Biological limit values/ Monitoring methods | Relevant occupational exposure limits and biological limits values |
Engineering controls | Measures to reduce exposure, such as ventilation |
Personal protective equipment | Respiratory protection, Eye protection, Skin and body protection, Hand protection |
9. PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES | |
Elements | Appearance; Odor; pH; Melting point/freezing point; Initial boiling point and boiling range and other physical and chemical parameters |
Note | For mixtures, if product information is not available, the physical and chemical properties of the ingredients that contribute to the hazards of the mixture and the names of related components could be filled in; If there are no data on the above properties, it should also indicate “Not applicable” or "No data available", etc. |
10. STABILITY AND REACTIVITY | |
Elements | Stability; Hazardous reaction; Condition to avoid; Incompatible materials; Hazardous decomposition products, etc. |
Note | It should be consistent with the relevant content of other parts; Carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and water as decomposition products do not need to be listed; As well as hazardous combustion products should be included in the fire protection measures in Section 5, not necessarily listed herein. |
11. TOXICOLOGICAL INFORMATION | |
Elements | Acute toxicity; Skin corrosion/irritation; Serious eye damage/ irritation; Respiratory or skin sensitization; toxicokinetics, metabolism and distribution, etc. |
Note | For mixtures, if product information is not available, the relevant data of the non-confidential components could be filled in; If there are no data on the above properties, it should also indicate “Not applicable” or "No data available", etc. |
12. ECOLOGICAL INFORMATION | |
Elements | Ecological toxicity; Persistence/degradability; Bioaccumulation potential; Mobility in soil, etc. |
Note | For mixtures, if product information is not available, the relevant data of the non-confidential components could be filled in; If there are no data on the above properties, it should also indicate “Not applicable” or "No data available", etc. |
13. DISPOSAL CONSIDERATIONS | |
Elements | Waste disposal measures; Contaminated packaging; Note of disposal, etc. |
Note | Specify the disposal methods of waste and contaminated packaging and precautions for disposal |
14. TRANSPORT INFORMATION | |
Elements | UN No., UN shipping name, Hazard Class, Packaging group; Marine Pollutants; Note of Transport, etc. |
Note | Pay attention to distinguishing between hazardous chemicals and dangerous goods; Pay attention to the correlation with GHS classification. |
15. REGULATORY INFORMATION | |
Elements | Relevant regulations and standards for the management of the chemical and chemical inventory (e.g. "Catalog of Hazardous Chemicals", "List of Dangerous Goods", " Inventory of Existing Chemical substances in China ", "Classification and List of Occupational Diseases, etc.) |
Note | Pay attention to quote current regulations or standards |
16. OTHER INFORMATION | |
Elements | Preparation and revision information, Abbreviations and acronyms, Disclaimer, References, etc. |
In addition to the above elements, chemical enterprises should also pay attention to many irregularities in the various aspects of supervision, including the following common problems: The product name is only codes or numbers; The SDS and the label are inconsistent; Emergency phone number are not standardized; Some sub-items are missing or blank; The GHS classification does not comply with Chinese national standards; The hazard statements/ precautionary statements are not standardized; The composition information is incomplete or irregular; The data is incomplete or inconsistent with the classification; The transportation information is incorrect or missing; Chinese and English translation is not accurate, etc.
By the way, companies should raise awareness of directly using SDS that downloaded from the Internet that are inconsistent with the products or SDS that has not been updated for many years. If this happens, not only will the company be forced to rectify during the import and export process and the registration of hazardous chemicals, it will also cause huge safety hazards to downstream companies, consumers and the public, which will directly affect company's image and services, and may bring greater economic losses.
Therefore, the SDS/safety labels compilation must get accurate points in order to provide and transmit compliant technical documents. In principle, SDS should be provided by the supplier. If the supplier does not provide it, enterprises can compile it by their own technicians or contract with a recognized third-party organization to prepare the SDS/safety label.
CNCIC has a wealth of experience and regulatory knowledge as we have been providing GHS compliance services to domestic and oversea clients for many years. If you have any questions about GHS, please feel free to contact us.