ECHA-Suggests-SDS-Still-Needs-Room-For-Improvement

 ECHA Suggests SDS Still Needs Room For Improvement

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The ECHA or European Chemicals Agency is known for the stringent regulations against the usage of hazardous chemicals within the EU. So, recently ECHA has enforced a forum for the latest findings on the EU-wide project SDS or Safety Data Sheets. The compliance of SDS is across the 28 EU and EEA countries and ECHA has a comprehensive review on the 2500 SDS chemicals aiming to evaluate and include the new requirements. Hence, this blog explores the ECHA latest suggestions on SDS and the advances on the requirement. 

Key Findings: 35% Non-Compliance Rate

As per the report released on December 3 2024, the inspections conducted by the ECHA authorities concluded that around 35% of the checked SDS did not meet the compliance standards. Hence, this points out the major two key factors and they are

  • Inaccurate or incomplete content meaning that SDS did not fulfill the necessary set of requirements with much critical information being missed or outdated. 
  • Secondly, in some cases there was complete absence of SDS meaning that Safety Data Sheets were simply not provided.
  • Finally, despite being non-compliant with the SDS regulation, the report also indicated there needed to be areas of improvement compared to the previous enforced projects. 

SDS Flow in the Supply Chain: A Positive Development

One of the major highlights from the project findings is the assurance of SDS being in the effective flow through the supply chain. Around 96% of cases, the suppliers were successfully able to provide the required SDS to the recipients whenever needed or asked. Also, this shows that in the case of dissemination and communication, the SDS flow is functioning well throughout the system and helping the suppliers to meet their obligations to some extent. Also, with 2500 cases being checked for SDS has been updated in the new format reflecting the positive trend towards the new legislative framework. 

Challenges With New Information Requirements

The recent review on the SDS highlights the challenges meeting the new information requirements which are included to address the growing concerns in terms of chemical safety. The most significant gaps observed among the new requirements are stated below,

Nanoforms:

The ECHA authorities have found that around 67% of the checked SDS were missing information regarding the nanoforms despite the fact that this information is crucial for understanding the potential hazards of the materials.

Endocrine Disrupting Properties: 

Around 48% of the SDS failed to include the information regarding the endocrine-disrupting properties as it is an emerging concern regarding the chemical safety. In addition, around 16% of the SDS that were reviewed were missing the necessary information specified by the authorization decisions highlighting the gaps in meeting the compliance standards. 

Data Quality Issues:

Beyond the missing information, the project also highlighted significant concerns regarding the quality of the data provided in the SDS. Inspectors identified deficiencies in 27% of the safety data sheets, including:

  • Inaccurate or unclear identification of chemical hazards.
  • Incomplete or imprecise details about the chemical composition of the substances.
  • Insufficient information on how to handle exposure risks.
  • Another notable issue was the absence of required exposure scenarios in 18% of the SDS, further compounding the safety risks.

Enforcement Actions: Holding Suppliers Accountable

In response to the widespread non-compliance, inspectors took several enforcement actions. While the primary approach was to issue written advice to the suppliers, the enforcement measures also included administrative orders, fines, and, in some cases, criminal complaints. These actions were intended to encourage compliance with the legal requirements and to ensure that proper safety information is provided to protect workers and the environment.

The findings of the ECHA’s Enforcement Forum project reveal a mixed picture of progress and areas requiring attention. Approach Sunstream for REACH Compliance, RoHS Compliance and  SDS services . Our services will ensure that your compliance process is  up-to-date and fully compliant with the latest regulatory requirements.