Using Software for SDS Authoring: When Is It Necessary or Beneficial?

First, it's helpful to know that the following terms essentially refer to the same type of document, although SDS is the globally preferred term under GHS:

• SDS - Safety Data Sheet
• MSDS - Material Safety Data Sheet (An older term, but still sometimes encountered)

Preparing a Safety Data Sheet (SDS) involves creating a comprehensive document detailing the properties, safety precautions, and environmental impacts of hazardous chemicals. Using specialized software for this process becomes necessary or highly beneficial in the following situations:

1. Managing Numerous Chemicals: If SDSs need to be created for a large number of different products or chemicals, managing this manually is extremely time-consuming and prone to errors. Software helps organize chemical information systematically within a database, enabling the rapid, consistent, and regulatory-compliant generation of documents, often in bulk.

2. Complex Regulatory Compliance Requirements: Different countries and regions (e.g., EU-CLP/REACH, USA-OSHA, Canada-WHMIS) apply specific standards and legal requirements for SDS content and formatting, even though they are generally based on the Globally Harmonized System (GHS). Good SDS software can automatically generate documents in compliant formats tailored to these specific regulations and can be updated to reflect legislative changes.

3. Hazard Classification and Calculations: Accurately determining the hazard classification, especially for chemical mixtures, requires complex calculations based on component concentrations, known hazards, and specific physical/chemical properties (e.g., additivity formulas, cut-off values). Software automates these calculations according to GHS/CLP rules, simplifying the process and significantly improving reliability and accuracy.

4. Multilingual Requirements: Companies trading internationally are legally required to provide SDSs in the official language(s) of each country where the product is marketed. Quality SDS software typically includes databases of standardized phrases (hazard, precautionary statements, etc.) in multiple languages, supporting rapid and accurate translation and minimizing language errors.

5. Database Management and Data Reusability: The data required for SDS authoring (chemical components, supplier details, toxicological data, hazard statements, pictograms, etc.) is extensive and complex to manage. Software facilitates managing this data in a centralized, organized database, preventing redundant data entry and ensuring consistency across multiple documents.

6. Tracking and Managing Updates: Chemical regulations and substance classifications are frequently updated. When a component's classification changes or a new regulatory requirement is introduced, all affected SDSs must be revised. Software helps track these changes, identify impacted documents, and manage the update process much more efficiently.

7. Speed, Efficiency, and Standardization: Manual processes are slow and susceptible to human error. Creating documents from scratch or via copy-pasting can lead to inconsistencies. Software significantly accelerates the workflow through templates and automated data population, ensures standardization, and leads to cost and labor savings.

Conclusion:

Using dedicated software for SDS authoring is particularly valuable, and often essential, for:

• Managing a large portfolio of products/chemicals.
• Ensuring compliance with multiple or complex regional regulations.
• Classifying complex mixtures accurately.
• Meeting multilingual documentation needs.
• Maintaining ongoing compliance with frequently updated regulations.

In these scenarios, software becomes more than just a convenience; it's a strategic tool for ensuring legal compliance, reducing errors, and optimizing resource allocation.