The Safety Data Sheet explained: what is on it and what do you do with it?

When working with chemical products, compliance with safety and quality guidelines, health and safety legislation, and climate and environmental requirements are crucial. Do you know what to do when a chemical is tampered with? As a seller, are you allowed to give advice on the use of chemical products? In most cases we can prevent accidents, but occasionally things go wrong. In this article, we explain what you need to know and do as both a seller and end user.

At Kramp, you can order chemical products and we will inform you of the dangers of the chemical product in question with a Safety Data Sheet. 

A Safety Data Sheet (SDS): how, what, and why?
If a customer orders a chemical product on our webshop, they will receive an e-mail with the SDS in the attachment after placing the order. We do this because we like to inform you about the safe use and possible risks of our chemical products and because this is a legal obligation. For up to twelve months after sending the e-mail with SDS, we will automatically send updates to our customers if the SDS is modified in the meantime. This will ensure that you always have the latest version for yourself and for your customers, in the event that you have not yet resold the product. 

As a link in the supply chain of a chemical product, we are legally obliged to send a SDS to our customers. But what must you do with it as an end user or seller? 

Sales: what must you do with a Safety Data Sheet as a seller?
If you sell products, your reputation is at risk if something is wrong with the quality or safety of these products. If you purchase chemical products from Kramp and then sell them to your customers, in most cases you must also forward the SDS to your clients!

Failure to issue an SDS can lead to high fines without warning and even criminal prosecution in very serious cases.

‘I sell Business-to-Business’
Step-by-step plan:

1. Send the SDS free of charge (by post or by e-mail) to your customer prior to or at the moment when they purchase the chemical product.
2. Send the updated version of the SDS if it has been updated and if your customer has purchased the product in the last twelve months.
3. Archive all received SDSs for a period of ten years.

‘I sell Business-to-Consumer’
Step-by-step plan:

1. You are not legally required to provide the SDS to consumers. Consumers receive sufficient information on the safe use and the risks of the product through the labelling and packaging of the product.
2. Archive all received SDSs for a period of ten years. 

Use: what must you do with a Safety Data Sheet at your place of work?
If you and your colleagues work with Kramp's chemical products, it is important for everyone to have access to the SDSs. Not making a SDS accessible to employees can lead to dangerous situations for your colleagues and can lead to sanctions for the employer.

Step-by-step plan:

1. Follow the recommendations in the SDS. For example, this includes the chapters on storage and fire-fighting measures.
2. Always give your employees access to the latest version of the SDS relating to the chemical products they use and/or to which they may be exposed in the course of their work.
3. Archive all received SDSs for a period of ten years. 

What information is in an SDS?
The REACH legislation prescribes a fixed structure of the SDS. SDS documents always have a revision date. Make sure that you always make the latest version of the SDS available to your employees or offer it to your customers if you resell the products. All versions of an SDS must be kept for ten years. The SDS is comprised of the following chapters:

• Chapter 1: Identification of the substance/mixture, of the company/undertaking and the emergency telephone number.
• Chapter 2: Hazard identification
• Chapter 3: Composition and information on the ingredients
• Chapter 4: First aid measures
• Chapter 5: Fire-fighting measures
• Chapter 6: Measures in the event of accidental release of the substance or mixture
• Chapter 7: Handling and storage
• Chapter 8: Measures to control exposure/personal protection
• Chapter 9: Physical and chemical properties
• Chapter 10: Stability and reactivity
• Chapter 11: Toxicological Information
• Chapter 12: Ecological information
• Chapter 13: Instructions for disposal
• Chapter 14: Information relating to transport
• Chapter 15: Regulations
• Chapter 16: Other information 

Any questions?
Product Compliance is a hot topic. If you have any questions about the chemical products or the SDS you received from us, please send your questions to SDS@kramp.com. If you would like to know more about Product Compliance & Quality, then please have a look here for more information. 

Emergency situation
In case of an emergency, you can contact the emergency telephone number listed in chapter 1 of the SDS. The emergency telephone number will direct you to a  national poison centre, the supplier, or a third party who can give you advice. Always make sure to bring the SDS with you if you need to go to the hospital.