March 2007 Addendum to SDS User Guide

Please download the March 2007 Addendum to the 1st Edition of the User Guide.

In the late 1990s CHCS was aware that guidance existed for those writing SDSs, both in the form of official guidance from the Health and Safety Executive and other publications, such as the Chemical Industries Association (CIA) "Guidance on the compilation of safety data sheets".

However, as far as was then known to CHCS, no general guidance was available to assist those who receive safety data sheets.

Accordingly the Chemical Hazards Communication Society set up, under the Chairmanship of Dr Ray Jones, a working group of fifteen expert members to produce such guidance.

The first edition of the CHCS User Guide was published in 2000. It has been very well received.

Then in July 2005 the Royal Society of Chemistry’s “Chemistry World” noted, in a review of another publication, that:

“The CHCS Document is designed for immediate use, covering each section of the typical European safety data sheet in sequence and is spirally bound so that it opens flat at any section needed.”

and

"However someone with no background in toxicology, needing to interpret a safety data sheet for a COSHH risk assessment, should reach for the CHCS document and not this book.”

The CHCS User Guide is intended to assist those who receive, and have to subsequently utilise, Safety Data Sheets (SDS); for instance under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH).

The guide is split into the sixteen different sections for SDSs that are mandated by EC Directives and British Regulations (CHIP). Each section contains an explanation of the purpose of that section, and how to interpret the information that may be found therein. In particular, the guidance seeks to explain the 'jargon' commonly used in Safety Data Sheets. It will be of interest both to recipients of Safety Data Sheets and to those who produce and supply SDSs to others.

The guide also has a comprehensive glossary of terms to help users understand the terms used in the guide and which may be found in SDSs. The guide extends to approximately 65 pages and is comb bound to enable it to open flat.

In March 2007 an addendum sheet was produced to bring the guide up to date (e.g. references to the CHIP Regulations and COSHH needed to be updated, and the effects of the (EC) 1907/2006 REACH Regulation noted). Owners of the guide can download this free of charge as above. We continually review the guide in the light of major forthcoming regulatory changes, and will issue further addenda or new editions as appropriate.

Copies of the guide (an addendum sheet) are available for purchase at just £10 per copy.

• Safety Data Sheet User Guide order form in Adobe PDF format
   
• Safety Data Sheet User Guide order form in RTF format