Contact us? +49 931 4653331  |  info@gesi.de
Home  |  All Blog Posts  |  Contact  | 

GeSi3 Blog | Safety Data Sheets and Hazardous Substances

Home » Information department in safety data sheets (SDS)

Information department in safety data sheets (SDS)

Information department

© -

An information department should be specified in every safety data sheet (SDS) There are legal requirements for this. Especially in companies which are moving from a national safety data sheet into the inter-European area, suppliers often ask me about the changes in the information department.

What does department providing information mean?

Information departments are national contacts which are listed in the safety data sheet, Section 1.4 (emergency number). This information is provided by the safety data sheet creator and is subject to specific regulations which may differ from country to country.

Information department in your own safety data sheet

How to create a sds

In accordance with REACH Regulation, Annex II, 1.4, information on emergency information services must be provided. Contrary to the assumptions of some SDS creators, this does not mean that this emergency information service must be contactable 24/7. However, it is mandatory that the contact hours of the service are specified. If there are any restrictions on the type of information, these must also be listed. A typical requirement of member states is that the emergency number has to provide information in the official language and the necessary expertise is there to be able to provide information. If there is an official advisory service in the member state where the SDS is put into circulation, it may be sufficient to specify this. Further details of the requirements are specified in the ECHA guidelines for the creation of safety data sheets. Access to the official advisory services can also be limited to medical personnel – and again: A thorough knowledge of how to proceed in the member state is decisive. It is recommended that you contact the appropriate authorities to clarify the use of the emergency numbers.

Where can I find information on national regulations?

ECHA has a helpdesk page where the relevant member states can also provide voluntary information on the emergency numbers. On this helpdesk page, there is also a link to a List of information about Section 1.4.

Conclusion

A translation of the safety data sheet for a new supplier country is not enough – in addition to national legal requirements, the national regulations for the information departments must also be met.   Sources: Regulation (EC) No. 1907/2006 (REACH Regulation), consolidated version, as of 27/02/2020 Guidance on the compilation of safety data sheets, Version 3.1, European Chemicals Agency 2015, ISDBN 978-92-9247-514-7 ECHA national helpdesks, status 22/06/2020

With GeSi³ you can quickly and automatically create plausible, multilingual REACH and CLP-compliant safety data sheets.
Go to Top