My Learning's as a Safety Data Sheet (SDS) Trainer
Dr. Rashmi Naidu
Independent Advisor & Trainer (Chemical Regulations & SDS) at Self Employed
Having interacted with so many chemical industry top bosses thus far, below are my key take-aways as a SDS trainer
1. SDS is not given the due importance that it should get (in most industries), despite it being the only elaborate hazard communication tool.
2. SDS of mixtures/formulation presents a huge challenge during authoring.
3. Most companies desire to make their SDS’s look professional and want to do it the right way, but hesitate to suitably train their team.
4. Majority of teams working on the SDS are neither qualified nor trained to develop competence; for authoring SDS, resulting in numerous queries from customers, shipping line and customs authorities.
5. Contents in SDS often copy pasted from various web sources, with no references on their authoritativeness.
6. SDS authors unaware of the wealth of scientific information on chemicals available online; to properly describe their chemical hazards.
7. It is agreed by all companies that a formal training goes a long way in providing necessary skills to their team and markedly improving the SDS quality.
With regulatory developments happening rapidly in most countries, trained employees will be big assets for companies to smoothly navigate the ever evolving regulatory landscape! So companies, begin training your team to end up on the winning side!
Regulatory Compliance Specialist
4moHello ma'am. I want to learn SDS authoring. Can you suggest good sources of information, training programs or certification bodies?
Independent Advisor & Trainer (Chemical Regulations & SDS) at Self Employed
5yThank you everyone, for your time!
South Asia Director and Competence Centres Director
5yThe problem ,Dr Rashmi, is that GHS has still not been adopted into a law in India(unlike EU-CLP), which allows chemical companies to author SDS without any regulatory pressure. SDS is looked upon as a document required to be filed for Brands audits, rather than used for communication of hazards and safety precautions. Getting trained SDS authors is also a challenge. Companies are not ready to employ dedicated experts for this nor spend money on outsourcing the authoring. There is a fear that if I communicate all hazards in my formulation, my client will not use it!
Product Safety & Regulatory Affairs Manager at Croda
5yCompletely agree with all the points Dr. Rashmi, especially point no. 1. One of the reasons why authoring GHS SDS doesn't get the importance it deserves is poor awareness of the reason it is intended for. It is usually asked to keep the audit papers complete and not really to use the information contained in it. I am sure the perception will change with the evolving time! Thanks for this post.. it's one step towards spreading awareness 😊
Assistant Manager - Regulatory
5yI agree with you mam fully. SDS always copy paste from websites. Proper training would be required for those involved in it especially agrochemical sector