MSDS or Materials Safety Data Sheets concern all kinds of hazardous chemicals that have been classified as such, legally. Before the advent of MSDS you had chemical data sheets that were in use by chemists for more than a hundred years. The current thrust for the implementation of the spirit behind MSDS is to ensure that any individual, who is involved in the manufacture of a hazardous chemical, its testing, storage, transportation, and handling or demolition, must be aware of the various dangers that are associated with such a chemical.

MSDS had its birth some 4000 years ago during the time of the ancient Egyptians. Renowned Egyptian physicians such as Imhotep had then perfected the system of documentation of prescriptions on papyrus. The documentation extended to the composition, the manner of production, the source of the ingredients, the way the medicine was to be consumed or applied, the precautions to be followed and how these were to be stored.

MSDS today represents a global effort towards reaching perfect safety and improvement in health of all living beings and organisms. Under the regulations governing MSDS, every chemical that falls under its purview needs to be described in a fairly explicit manner. The particulars that need to be displayed include the name of the chemical, the complete details of the manufacturer and the supplier, their full names as well as address and phone numbers. The ingredients must be detailed and the physical data as well. Such data would be the vapor pressure and the odor thats associated as well as the boiling point and the extent and manner in which the substance reacts with other substances. Protective gear and the ways in which the hazards are to be controlled would need to be detailed too. There are regulatory bodies responsible for MSDS authoring.

Some of these agencies responsible for MSDS authoring are NIOSH or the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the OSHA or the Occupational Safety and Health Administration as well as the EPA or the Environmental Protection Agency. Regulatory bodies such as the OSHA are not only responsible for MSDS authoring but also offer consultancy in regulatory matters and label compliance.

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All products used in the workplace must have an MSDS accessible for employees to understand the proper use and safety measures needed when using a product or in case of an accident. It is the responsibility for the employer to ensure that there is an MSDS sheet for every product being used in their facility, but these MSDSs are typically provided by the supplier of the product.

An MSDS sheet is a go-to document for all persons who may come into contact with a particular chemical or mixture. It explains the relevant physical properties, hazardous information and safety procedures. Every country/jurisdiction has its own regulations that must be followed when preparing an MSDS for a product, specifying what information must be disclosed on the document.

Nexreg Compliance Inc. is a regulatory company that specializes in MSDS preparation. Nexreg offers MSDS authoring for the E.U. (SDS), NAFTA (U.S., Canada and Mexico), OSHA/WHMIS (U.S. and Canada), OSHA (U.S.) and WHMIS (Canada). The type of MSDS you require will depend on where your product will be used. Because of the many different legislations regulating MSDS preparation, choosing a professional service like Nexreg Compliance is a safe way to ensure that your MSDS will be compliant with all necessary documents.

Nexreg offers services for MSDS preparation from 2 weeks standard time to a 24-hour rush depending on your companys needs. Nexreg will determine the hazardous properties and classifications for your product from the formulation and prepare the appropriate MSDS accordingly. We also offer translations if you require your MSDS in another language besides English. Our team also offers services to update or reformat existing MSDSs your company may have that are expired or need to be used in a different jurisdiction.
If you have any questions or are interested in finding out more about Nexreg Compliance Inc.s services, feel free to contact us:

Nexreg Compliance, Inc.
Toll Free: (866) 361-3032
Phone: (519) 488-5126
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The Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) requires labels on controlled materials from the supplier and at the workplace. Health and safety officers may check the containers of controlled products in your workplace to ensure they have supplier labels with the special hatched border (illustrated in Appendix II). These labels must have the following information enclosed in the border:

a product identifier

a hazard symbol or symbols to correspond to risk phrases (standard pictograms for WHMIS)

risk phrases describing the nature of the hazard and possible consequences of product misuses (e.g. eye irritant

precautionary measures to be taken to ensure the safe use of the product (e.g. keep away from acids)

first aid measures (e.g. in case of skin contact, flush immediately with plenty of water)

a supplier identifier

a reference to the Material Safety Data Sheet (e.g. see MSDS)

Any containers that have a quantity of 100 mL or less need to only display a product identifier, the hazard symbol(s), the supplier identifier and some reference to the MSDS. All supplier labels must be in English and French.

Workplace labels must contain the following information:

clearly identify the product

identify essential information for safe use and handling of the product

indicate whether a MSDS is available (ex. if a consumer product is being used, a MSDS may not be available)

Contrary to the supplier label, the workplace label is performance oriented and therefore, its appearance, wording and arrangement are not restricted. Regardless, the workplace label must provide enough information to depict the precautions that must be taken to prevent injuries or accidents. Word, symbols, or other modes of communication can be used to convey the possible health and environmental hazards, but it must be combined with worker education to make certain that the worker has all the necessary information for safe handling and storage of the chemical.

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MSDS authoring requires comprehensive knowledge of regulatory requirements. It is best to outsource to a company with extensive experience in MSDS authoring. Each country has its own standard regulations thus, one chemical substance may require multiple MSDSs depending on which country it is used in. For example, the Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) sets the standards for MSDSs in Canada. WHMIS is regulated by Health Canada through the Controlled Products Regulations (CPR), the Hazardous Products Act (HPA) & Part II. Typically in Canada, a MSDS requires to be reviewed every three years.

Many MSDS documents will appear different because only a select amount of disclosed information is specified by law. The design of the document is left up to the company who writes the MSDS. Some companies may choose to include more than the required amount of information. Also, MSDS documents usually need to be updated every 3-5 years depending on the specific country rules and regulations. However, if significant new information is revealed before the MSDS renewal period the supplier is required to provide an updated MSDS and label. Typical information found on a MSDS consists of: hazardous ingredients; the contact information for the company who prepared the MSDS, the manufacturer and the supplier; physical data; fire and explosion hazards; reactivity data; toxicological properties; preventive measures and first aid measures.

At present, it is common for many companies to outsource MSDS authoring. Many small and medium size companies do not have the volume of MSDSs to require an onsite regulatory specialist. It is much more cost effective for these types of companies to outsource their periodic MSDS needs. An increase in complexity with the rules and regulations surrounding MSDS development also makes it more cost effective to outsource these tasks to professionals who receive continual training on the new regulations. Most companies do not have the financial support to continually train their employees on the current regulations when they author a minimal number of MSDS.

Currently, the global requirement is that a MSDS must be completed for all hazardous chemicals. The MSDS should be distributed and available during the production, use, storage, testing, transportation, and destruction of these chemicals.

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According to WHMIS classifications, Class D (Poisonous and Infectious Material) has 3 divisions. Two of these divisions also havesubdivisions.

Class D1 represents “Materials Causing Immediate and Serious Toxic Effects at greater than or equal to one percent”. This category is further broken up into Class D1A (Very Toxic Material at greater than or equal to one percent) and Class D1B (Toxic Material at greater than or equal to one percent). If a product fits the criteria for a certain TDG Class, Packing group, or falls into the assigned levels for oral, dermal or inhalation toxicity for one of these two classes, it would fall into that class.

Class D2 represents “Materials Causing Other Toxic Effects”. Class D2A (Very Toxic Material at greater than or equal to 0.1 percent) applies to any substance that contains an ingredient which has demonstrated aspects of carcinogenicity, reproductive toxicity, teratogenicity, embryotoxicity, mutagenicity or respiratory sensitization. Class D2A (Very Toxic Material at greater than or equal to one percent) would also include any substance which has been found to have chronic toxic effects in small doses which threatens life or causes serious impairment of cardiovascular or nervous systems, or bodily organs. Class D2B (Toxic Material at greater than or equal to one percent) would incorporate any chemical that has been found to have chronic toxic effects in larger doses (than D2A), mutagenicity, skin sensitization or skin and/or eye irritation.

Please note that for the classes which have a percentage assigned to them, the chemical in question must be present in the mixture in a concentration falling within the range given in order to be classified.

Finally, Class D3 represents “Biohazardous Infectious Material”. Any organism that has been shown to cause or is reasonably believed to cause disease in persons or animals would be classified under this division. Any organisms classified into Risk Group 2, 3, and 4 as determined by the Medical Research Council of Canada (MRCC) or the World Health Organization (WHO) would also be classified as a Class D3 substance.

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Many organizations provide services for revising or writing Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) ensuring compliance with all necessary regulatory requirements. MSDS authoring to meet the required regulatory standards varies from country to country. The Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) sets the standards for MSDSs in Canada. WHMIS is regulated by Health Canada through the Controlled Products Regulations (CPR), the Hazardous Products Act (HPA) & Part II. Typically in Canada, a MSDS requires to be reviewed every three years.

A MSDS is a document that contains information about a chemical product. The CPR sets the standard for information that is required on a WHMIS MSDS form. Section 12 of the CPR specifies the categories of information that are required to be disclosed within the MSDS. There are nine categories of information captured on the MSDS form, including: product information, hazardous ingredients, physical data, fire & explosive data, reactivity data, toxicological properties, preventative measures, and first aid measures & preparation information.

Currently, the global requirement is that a MSDS must be completed for all hazardous chemicals. The MSDS should be distributed and available during the production, use, storage, testing, transportation, anddestruction of these chemicals. Currently, there are not many education programs in place to train employees on MSDS authoring unless companies offer this type of training in-house.

At present, it is common for many companies to outsource MSDS authoring. Many small and medium size companies do not have the volume of MSDSs to require a full-time onsite regulatory specialist. It is much more cost effective for these types of companies to outsource their periodic MSDS needs. An increase in complexity with the rules and regulations surrounding MSDS development also makes it more cost effective to outsource these tasks to professionals who receive continual training on new regulations. Most companies do not have the financial support to continually train their employees on the current regulations when they author a minimal number of MSDSs.

For further information on MSDS authoring and MSDS please visit http://www.nexreg.com/

A Drug Identification Number (DIN) is an 8-digit number assigned by Health Canada to a drug product (both over-the-counter and prescription-only) under the Food and Drugs Act (FDA). All drug products that fall under the FDA must be assigned a DIN before market in Canada. The DIN guarantees the drug has been evaluated and authorized for sale in Canada by the Canadian government. The DIN is assigned a random number in order to follow-up on the drug once it gets on the Canadian market. This is particularly important for product recalls, inspections and quality monitoring since it uniquely identifies the product and proves Health Canada approved the drug for sale. A drug product in Canada that does not have an associated DIN is not compliant under Canadian law.

The first thing a manufacturer (supplier) must do to receive a DIN from Health Canada is submit the DIN Application Data, which describes in great detail the drug products complete chemical formulation, consumer label and instructional use to ensure it meets all regulations in Canada. The application must be as detailed and up to date as possible. Once Health Canada receives the application data they begin the Screening phase where completeness and quality is of the essence. This is a good reason why initially filling out the application with as much detail as possible can pay off.

If Health Canada wants clarification in response to the DIN application they can issue a Clarifax (clarification issued to the manufacturer by means of fax mail). The Clarifax can lead to the issue of a Safety, Efficacy, and Quality Review, a Notice of Deficiency (NOD) or Screening Deficiency Notice (SDN), or a Screening Rejection Letter (SRL) or Notice of Deficiency - Withdrawal (NOD/w). The NOD, SDN, SRL and NOD/w are all for additional information because of incorrect or insufficient reporting. If any of these are issued to the manufacturer they must respond with the requested information and the product can re-enter the screening process for the DIN.

A Safety, Efficacy, and Quality Review is the third step in receiving DIN assignment. The review assesses the benefits and risks of the product. A Clarifax can again be issued in response to a NOD or NOD/w, or Notice of Non-compliance (NON) or Notice of Non-compliance-Withdrawal (NON/w). From here the drug application can either be rejected or withdrawn from the DIN application or be accepted for DIN registration.

If the application is completed successfully a DIN is issued for the drug product which authorizes sale in Canada.

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MSDS stands for Material Safety Data Sheets that are essentially documents of a special type. These documents are expected to usher in a new world, a world free from incidents and accidents resulting from chemicals of a hazardous kind. These documents are to be raised for each hazardous chemical that could harm the individual or the environment in any way. Therefore, incendiaries, inflammable chemicals or chemicals that could be sensitive to initiation that could cause an explosion and corrosive chemicals or chemicals that could be toxic or carcinogenic in nature are all covered. The stress is on thorough documentation and total training of personnel who are involved in handling such chemicals in any way whether in production, packing, testing, transporting or in demolition.

MSDS is important from the point of view of total safety due to awareness. All personnel who are involved with such hazardous chemicals would be aware as to how to handle any incident or accident involving such chemicals. Thus, if such a chemical is being transported and there is a spill the personnel accompanying and the safety operators would be aware of the measures that were required to be taken to combat any risk from fire or explosion that may arise. They would have the necessary safety gear and would be competent to handle such incidents to a safe conclusion.

The documents also lay down some important physical data such as the vapor pressure, the associated odor, the boiling point and the degree to which the chemical reacts with other substances. There are several regulatory bodies for MSDS such as the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health or NIOSH, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration or OSHA and the Environment Protection Agency or EPA. There are some competent agencies as well that offer services towards MSDS authoring in respect of the data sheets in the United States, Canada and Mexico besides some other countries. With this new form of documentation it is hoped that there would be a global reduction in incidents and accidents involving hazardous chemicals and as a result there would be greater health and security in the new world.

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There are a large number of chemicals that are hazardous in nature. These chemicals could be explosive in nature or inflammable or both. They could also be toxic, carcinogenic or corrosive. Therefore, the need was felt to document such chemicals on standardized Material Safety Data Sheets or MSDS. The idea of such documentation is hardly new. Such an idea existed during the time of Imhotep - the Egyptian physician some 4 thousand years ago. He would place every detail regarding his prescription on record. Such details included materials used, their sources and names and how they were prepared. The method of storage was on record as well as the application. Warnings were detailed concerning incorrect use.

Modern times have made the introduction of MSDS absolutely imperative. Every hazardous chemical will henceforth need to be catalogued in a standard manner. In order to improve the safety and health conditions of personnel engaged in the processing of such chemicals it’s essential that all personnel involved in the production, storage, packing, testing, transportation and destruction of these chemicals are to be fully equipped and trained in the very nature of these chemicals.

The MSDS will need to display complete particulars concerning the hazardous chemicals. The particulars will include the names of the chemicals and the full particulars and address of the supplier as well as the producer. The constituents will have to be detailed together with important physical data such as the boiling point, vapor pressure and the odor besides the degree to which the chemical might react with other substances. The sensitivity to explosion and the degree to which the chemical is inflammable are both most pertinent. The protective and safety gear to be used and the first aid measures that may be required are to be clearly stipulated.

Finally, there are regulatory bodies for MSDS. Some of these bodies are the National Institute for Occupation Safety & Health or NIOSH, the Occupational Safety & Health Administration or OSHA and EPA or the Environment Protection Agency. There are competent agencies in the US, Canada, Mexico and some other countries that offer competent services towards MSDS authoring.

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The United Nations introduced the concept of Globally Harmonized System or GHS as an attempt to classify all hazardous chemicals in a uniform manner for information and consultation. The United Nations Economic and Social Council subsequently endorsed this concept in July 2003. The method classifies the hazardous chemicals based on the hazard types that they are associated with.

Till the introduction of GHS every independent country had its own method of classification of hazardous chemicals, their labeling and symbols defining the nature and class of associated hazard that could be fire, explosion or both besides toxicity. Therefore, when such chemicals were transported through other countries there was an absolute lack of awareness of the manner in which a spillage was to be tackled or a conflagration and/or explosion. There was no common directive to define the precautions that were to be considered, or the manner in which a particular type of incident or accident was to be handled.

With the introduction of GHS, a commonality is being established globally. The intention of establishing such a commonality is ultimately to bring in a global improvement in health and safety standards, especially in a field that is so hazardous. The approach adopted is to establish a relationship between the classification and the associated hazard criteria. Subsequently, the link is to be communicated down the line to all the dealing personnel on the hazards, the protective measures that were necessary and the methodology of labeling that was to be adopted. The labeling could be an SDS (Safety Data Sheet). Companies dealing in such chemicals would need the services of a competent GHS consultant.

The new system is not legally binding though it’s an international agreement. It’s also not a standard nor is it a regulation. There is no deadline stipulated for implementation. However, there are immense benefits to the society in general and the industry in particular from its implementation. It is hoped that with the spread of awareness about the associated hazards there will be a dramatic fall in the rate of accidents globally bringing in an improvement in productivity and cost effectiveness besides ensuring better health conditions.

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