SDS Authoring
The Globally Harmonized System of classification and labeling chemicals is a global initiative to standardize environmental, health and safety information. Under the globally harmonized system, Safety Data Sheets (SDS) and Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) will undergo significant changes. To automate the change, companies are looking to Actio.
Request a call from an Actio GHS authoring specialist
Critical data about hazardous or might-be hazardous chemicals should be managed in a centralized, relational database. That's not just progressive technology— it's simply how it's done today. There are regulations that require product information which can only be analysed and disseminated this way.
There is immediate ROI in streamlining operations if you can leverage, analyze and reuse the data. Actio solutions help you do that. Plus there are added professional benefits: saving the company money and being a leader in the important initiative of a global event such as GHS conversion, which is valuable experience for you to have as a professional.
Leveraging GHS data Organized and classified data for GHS can further be leveraged for Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives, Risk Management, Marketing and PR, Environmental Compliance, and Governance statements. "Leverage it forward" is a term used often in the industry.
The overall key to assessing the full span of information is to have all raw materials identified, down to the substance level, with their ingredient percentages housed in a data library. This information will be collected from (M)SDSs from the raw material suppliers, or from full disclosure documents.
The process of converting to GHS can be done for you, and can be automated going forward. The investment does not have to break the bank. If you're already using Actio products or considering them, even better. Actio programs are proven to work for others and can work for you.
Globally harmonized deadlines
The final GHS / Hazard Communication Standard Final Rule was published in the US Federal Register on March 26, 2012. But long before that it's had significant traction globally. For a business with a global supply chain or distribution, the time to get moving on GHS is yesterday.
Key deadline for GHS adoption in the United States is December 1, 2013. By then, employers must have trained employees on the new label elements and SDS format.
A custom GHS classification evaluation
Some companies have been managing (M)SDS data in databases and converting to standardized data sheets for over a decade. Actio is a strong example of this. Actio GHS experts can fluidly and quickly survey your business situation and provide an evaluation and overview of how to proceed.
This should be a complimentary service from any company, but it certainly is with Actio.
“It’s in everyone's best interest to get companies on the road to GHS,” said Frank Stifter, Actio's GHS Program Manager. “And Actio can make it easy. We have SDS authoring software, relational databases designed for the substance level, BOM-tracking and material disclosure modules – ready to go. We’ve been doing this for over ten years,” he said.
Additionally, Actio solutions can make GHS conversion a launch-pad for managing critical supplier data. The technology can evaluate your product data library and link raw materials to the finished goods. Knowing the ingredients coming up through the supply chain empowers your organization to migrate data into a database for distribution to requestors.
Some companies have been innovators in green initiatives on many fronts. Bear in mind there is still a window to evaluate your GHS program and decide to get started – before the rush.
Who's classifying chemicals with Actio?
Behr Process, ITW Devcon, Kester Solder and Saint Gobain are examples of companies producing and distributing raw material, finished goods and chemical safety information to customers in record time – by investing in Actio.
For further reference, see corporate testimonials here.
(M)SDS authoring services from Actio can leverage the information you already have. This can be hard copies, spreadsheets, or from the raw materials SDS stored in (M)SDS Vault. The service then generates an up-to-date finished product GHS-compliant (M)SDS for easy reference for customers and resellers.
Compliance demands that environmental safety management communication sheets contain certain (M)SDS labels and GHS label capability. Also, the data must be prepared so that it can be transferred into a GHS (M)SDS as soon as the globally harmonized system of classification and labeling of chemicals comes fully into universal law. Actio can help. Contact us, we'll explain how it works.
(M)SDS Authoring Challenge
The fact is, authoring and distributing GHS and (M)SDS information to customers is complex.
To comply, product manufacturers and distributors must prepare, and make available (prior to the release of that finished good) an accurate (M)SDS or Material Safety Data Sheet document.
Today, in some cases this document must be compliant with the new Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling. Or it might have to be REACh compliant.
Tomorrow, it may have to be both.
Timing is critical -- or there will be delays going to market, likely compliance fines and PR snafus -- in other words -- risk. Raw material information, used to create your globally harmonized (M)SDS, based on your unique product formulation, must be up-to-date and accurate.
Further, depending on the industry, supporting documents like a package insert or a technical data sheet may be required. And now, with REACH regulation, producing an extended SDS under REACH requires downstream exposure scenarios based upon customer usage.
Once all the information is collected, the content must be analyzed against a variety of regulatory and research materials to determine whether any materials pose particular hazards which are elaborated upon in a very comprehensive, custom detailed (M)SDS. Continued management of this (M)SDS information requires that revisions be made if product formulations or global regulations change.
Soon you realize that managing the authoring, analysis, distribution and update process of (M)SDS information is not only complex, it is also time consuming, resource intensive and costly.
GHS and (M)SDS Authoring Solution
(M)SDS Author is a professional service and (M)SDS authoring solution that creates compliant MSDS’s on finished goods containing hazardous materials – communicating risk associated with human and environmental safety, ensuring worldwide product compliance, and lowering the total cost of ownership for producing these complex regulatory documents.
For a fraction of the cost of authoring your own (M)SDS, (M)SDS Author uses the raw material information stored in the (M)SDS Vault database to create (M)SDS information relevant to your unique product formulations. This information is then analyzed against Actio’s massive aggregation of regulatory content to identify potential hazards, health effects, and compliance requirements. The outcome is a comprehensive, custom, detailed database of your product information, which is used to generate (M)SDS for your customers around the world.
(M)SDS Author leverages the Actio platform’s database-driven technology, IntelligenTEXT™, which organizes (M)SDS data in defined fields in a database. Not only does IntelligenTEXT™ facilitate unlimited search, analysis and reporting capabilities, it also creates a dynamic content environment that can quickly respond to change. A change in your product formulations, supplier (M)SDS data, or global regulations simply requires an update to the platform’s centralized database. The updated information is immediately accessible to generate accurate, (M)SDS documents for your customers in the formats and languages required.
Unlike paper-based processes or systems that provide (M)SDS information as a static document, such as PDF format, (M)SDS Author uses standard forms already in the system to pull information from defined fields in the database to present MSDS-compliant information to users – eliminating the high cost of (M)SDS re-creation to satisfy local market requirements.
The result? Your customers have round-the-clock, online access to accurate, up-to-date (M)SDS documents – at a fraction of the cost than if you did it yourself.
Outsourced GHS and (M)SDS Authoring Benefits
- As an outsourced service, (M)SDS Author automatically generates an (M)SDS on a finished good based on raw material information stored in (M)SDS Vault and the finished good product formulation
- (M)SDS authoring service conducts extensive research with industry standard references and leverages a library of more than 2000 standard phrases creating an accurate and concise (M)SDS
- Once generated, each (M)SDS supports a wide range of global formats and languages – ensuring 100% global compliance
- With frequency of distribution determined by the manufacturer, the platform automatically distributes (M)SDS information via email, fax, or direct link to a customer’s online catalog or product information page
- Professionally branded (M)SDS with company colors and logo enhances your corporate image
- Delivered as Software as a Service (SaaS) with no hardware and software to purchase and maintain providing faster time to benefit and lower total cost of ownership
Would you like to find out how GHS (M)SDS services can work for you, affordably, quickly and easily? Contact us today, using the Contact Us page. Just fill in a few fields with your name and interests and we'll get right back to you.
