MSDS to SDS: Know What To Do and How To Do It

Compliance and conversion from Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) to the new Safety Data Sheets (SDS) policy can be a difficult and time consuming task for any company involved in production and manufacturing. As June 2015 comes closer, so does the deadline for all industries that handle any form of chemical within their products, to transfer over from MSDS to SDS regulatory standards. What companies have to understand is that the compliance needs to be completed and in full operating order by June 2015. This leaves just a short amount of time for companies to compile all data, create safety content and have it accessible to their employees by the June 2015 deadline. Of course, in order to comply with these new regulatory standards your organization needs to understand them.  So what’s changing? In an article written by HazCommpliance, they explain that:

“OSHA’s Hazard Communication standard has undergone some changes recently to align with a global initiative (GHS) to help manage the risks associated with chemicals in the workplace with the help of the new SDS.”

What this brings to the industry is a new set of guidelines that is set to underscore the importance of hazardous chemicals within the workplace. Information distribution is key with these new regulations, so having employees aware of the changes and the information within reach is vital for all manufactures, distributers, and suppliers. As the article explains, those affected by the change have duties to provide and sections they need to abide by.

“Manufacturers, suppliers and distributors still have a duty to provide a copy of a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) to workplaces, however the format of the MSDS will be different, as will the name. MSDS’s will be referred to as Safety Data Sheets (SDS) and will contain 16 sections that describe the important information about the chemical. Packaging and container labels will also be changing in appearance and content.”

Source Intelligence is a leader in helping companies convert from MSDS to SDS regulation standards. Source Intelligence’s Scott Hepner, Director of Customer Support Services, will be featured in an interactive webinar that provides the key insights on an effective  SDS management plan. Click here to register.