Safety Data Sheets provide users of chemicals with essential information to help protect human health and the environment. Chemical users are companies or individuals in the European Union/European Economic Area who use a substance either on its own or in mixtures during their industrial or professional activities. Safety Data Sheets are intended for employees handling chemicals and those responsible for safety. The format of the Safety Data Sheet is defined in the REACH regulation. The sheet is divided into 16 sections.
An extended Safety Data Sheet with attached Exposure Scenarios must be provided if a hazardous substance is registered in quantities of 10 tons per year or more by the registrant. The Exposure Scenario describes the way in which the exposure of people and the environment to a given substance is controlled to ensure its safe use. The Exposure Scenario refers to an identified use or group of similar identified uses, such as processing, treatment, or manufacturing of a product. It describes the operational conditions and risk management measures that ensure the safe use of the substance for that particular use. Exposure Scenarios may include several contributing scenarios. A contributing scenario is a description of an individual contributing activity within the identified use (e.g., mixing, transfer to small containers, application by spraying, etc.). In each Exposure Scenario, one or more contributing scenarios pertain to the conditions that determine releases to the environment. Depending on the identified use, the releases may originate from an industrial site or extended sources during professional or consumer use. One or more contributing scenarios pertain to human exposure. Depending on the identified use, these scenarios will concern the exposure of employees or consumers in connection with a specific task or activity.
The globally harmonized system for the classification and labelling of chemicals.
