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Safety Data Sheet services: everything you need for compliant SDSs

Safety data sheets (SDSs, formerly material safety data sheets or MSDSs) have been a widely accepted and effective method to convey safety information on substances and mixtures to users in the supply chain. 

We provide a complete package of safety data sheet (SDS) services for companies around the world to ensure that only compliant SDSs are in circulation. 

Rebecca Karjalainen

Customer inquiries
Phone +358 44 974 0601
rebecca.karjalainen@chementors.fi
Finnish | English | French

    Your trusted SDS service provider from Finland​

    Since 2012, the Chementors team has newly generated, updated, and translated more than 10,000 safety data sheets in about 40 languages for customers around the world. As our one-stop service goal, we provide a complete package of SDS (MSDS) services to serve the various needs of clients which include: 

    Safety data sheets provided by Chementors are:

    • compliant with the current local regulations
    • composed in the official language(s) of the country where the product is placed on the market
    • compliant with the international regulations on the transport of dangerous goods
    • made for different product categories
    • customized with colors and logo as per client’s request
    • ready within a short delivery time with the support from our SDS software 

    With daily experience in safety data sheets since 2012, you can be sure that Chementors will handle all your SDS needs.

    Example of a safety data sheet authored by Chementors

    When manufacturing or placing a substance or mixture into a market, under different country-specific GHS regulations, duty holders are required to prepare and provide a compliant safety data sheet (formerly material safety data sheet) following the local regulation to downstream users in the supply chain. 

    In general, the document should provide information on:

    • the intrinsic properties of the substance or mixture
    • the physical, health, and environmental hazards
    • instructions for safe handling, storing, transport, and disposal
    • first-aid, firefighting, and exposure control measures.

    Due to the importance of safety data sheets to the users and the environment, under EU Regulations, for instance, SDS (MSDS) documents must be prepared by a competent person. At Chementors, we are fully aware of this basic yet core factor. Our SDS experts, who have many years of experience in safety data sheet compilation, are here to assist you with generating compliant SDS documents from scratch. 

    When placing a substance or mixture into another marketplace, the original safety data sheet (SDS, formerly material safety data sheet or MSDS) must be translated:

    • to the official language(s) of that country
    • to cover all SDS requirements set by that country


    In short, safety data sheet translation is never a word-to-word translation in terms of linguistics. Each country and region has its specific SDS requirements and standards, for example, hazard classification and labeling criteria, format and content, occupational exposure limit values, or special control rules and measures etc.  

    Therefore, a safety data sheet translation should cover not only the requirement of the official language(s) but, more importantly, the local regulations of the country of destination. The latter one is often neglected which makes the translated document non-compliant. 

    At Chementors, we provide high-quality translated safety data sheets in compliance with local regulations. We also make sure to apply correct phrases and appropriate terminology in each language with our SDS translation service. To date, more than 2500 SDS translations in 40 languages have been made by us. 

    Local regulations are usually amended after some years. Intrinsic hazard information of a chemical and the relevant risk management measure could also be changed or developed over time. Different factors including the above-mentioned make a safety data sheet (formerly material safety data sheet) seldom a one-time document. 

    Therefore, there is a need to frequently update the safety data sheet to maintain its compliance with the current version of the regulation and to provide the newly available safety information to target audiences in the supply chain. 

    Under certain countries and regions, such as the EU, it is a legal obligation to update SDS without delay if the updating scope is met.

    Safety data sheet update is a common task that Chementors has been receiving from worldwide clients. Once receiving input from Clients, our specialist team will make an update accordingly.

    Meet our Safety Data Sheet experts

    Key Account Manager

    Phone +358 44 974 0601
    rebecca.karjalainen@chementors.fi
    Finnish | English | French

    Cosmetics and DGSA Specialist

    Phone +358 10 504 5860
    satu.salomaki@chementors.eu
    Finnish | English

    REACH & Vietnam chemical regulation Specialist

    Phone +84 39 6169 628
    mi.nguyen@chementors.eu
    English | Vietnamese

    SDS/Chemeter Specialist

    Phone | +358 9 2316 7090
    antti.aalto@chementors.eu
    Finnish | English

    COO, Senior Specialist

    Phone +358 10 504 5861
    jan.nylund@chementors.eu
    Finnish | Swedish | English | German

    Chementors

    Regulatory Frameworks for Safety Data Sheets

    In most countries, it is a regulatory obligation to provide safety data sheets (formerly material data sheets) for all substances and mixtures that meet the criteria set out by the country where such substances or mixtures are manufactured or placed on the market.

    For example, in the EU, these criteria are defined in Article 31(1) of EU REACH regulation (EC) 1907/2006: 

    • a substance or a mixture meets the criteria for classification as hazardous according to CLP Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008; or
    • a substance is persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic (PBT) or very persistent and very bioaccumulative (vPvB), according to the criteria given in Annex XIII of REACH; or 
    • a substance is included in the candidate list for eventual authorization according to Article 59 (1) of REACH for any other reasons; or
    • under certain conditions, some mixtures, which do not meet the criteria for classification as hazardous according to CLP, also require an SDS to be prepared or be made available on request

    To date, numerous regions and countries worldwide have adopted the classification and labeling rules of the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) developed by the United Nations to generate and implement their own country-specific GHS regulations. 

    What is a Safety Data Sheet?

    What is a Safety Data Sheet?

    As defined in the UN GHS, a safety data sheet (formerly material safety data sheet or MSDS) is a document that “provides comprehensive information about a substance or mixture for use in workplace chemical control regulatory frameworks. Both employers and workers use it as a source of information about hazards, and to obtain advice on safety precautions.”

    Information in the SDS is useful for companies in developing and implementing appropriate chemical safety programs to protect workers and the environment. 

    In addition, SDS also provides critical information for other audiences in the supply chain such as those involved with transporting activities of dangerous goods, emergency responders including poison centers and firefighters, waste operators, those involved in the professional use of pesticides, and consumers.

    ✔  Mostly follows a 16-section format which is internationally agreed

    ✔ Often required to be provided in an official language of the country where the substance or mixture is placed on the market unless otherwise specified

    ✔ Should be provided by the manufacturers, importers, or suppliers to transmit necessary and relevant safety information on specific uses of the target users

    ✔ Should be prepared by a competent person 

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