Preparation of Safety Data Sheets for Hazardous Chemicals Code of Practice
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Preparation of safety data sheets for hazardous chemicals Code of Practice June 2020 This code is based on a national model code of practice developed by Safe Work Australia under the national harmonisation of work health and safety legislation and has been approved under section 274 of the Work Health and Safety Act 2012 (SA), following the legislated consultation. This code of practice commenced in South Australia on the date it was published in the Government Gazette, 4 June 2020. Creative Commons This copyright work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-commercial 4.0 International licence. To view a copy of this licence, visit creativecommons.org/licenses. In essence, you are free to copy, communicate and adapt the work for non-commercial purposes, as long as you attribute the work to Safe Work Australia and abide by the other licence terms. Contact information Safe Work Australia | [email protected] | www.swa.gov.au Contents Foreword ............................................................................................................................. 5 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................... 6 1.1. What is a safety data sheet? ............................................................................... 6 1.2. What are the duties in relation to the preparation of safety data sheets? ............. 6 1.3. When is it necessary to prepare a safety data sheet?.......................................... 7 1.4. Chemicals that do not require a safety data sheet ............................................... 8 2. Preparing, reviewing and amending safety data sheets ........................................... 10 2.1. What information is needed in an SDS? ............................................................ 10 2.2. Research chemicals, waste products or samples for analysis ........................... 11 2.3. Can an SDS prepared overseas be used? ........................................................ 12 2.4. Reviewing and amending an SDS ..................................................................... 12 3. Content of the safety data sheet ................................................................................ 13 3.1. Section 1—Identification .................................................................................... 13 3.2. Section 2—Hazard(s) identification .................................................................... 14 3.3. Section 3—Composition and information on ingredients .................................... 15 3.4. Section 4—First aid measures ........................................................................... 17 3.5. Section 5—Firefighting measures ...................................................................... 18 3.6. Section 6—Accidental release measures .......................................................... 19 3.7. Section 7—Handling and storage ...................................................................... 20 3.8. Section 8—Exposure controls and personal protection ...................................... 21 3.9. Section 9—Physical and chemical properties .................................................... 24 3.10. Section 10—Stability and reactivity .................................................................... 25 3.11. Section 11—Toxicological information ............................................................... 26 3.12. Section 12—Ecological information ................................................................... 29 3.13. Section 13—Disposal considerations ................................................................ 30 3.14. Section 14—Transport information .................................................................... 31 3.15. Section 15—Regulatory information .................................................................. 32 3.16. Section 16—Any other relevant information ....................................................... 32 Appendix A—Glossary ..................................................................................................... 33 Appendix B—Header checklist ........................................................................................ 38 Appendix C—GHS label elements for inclusion in the SDS ........................................... 42 Structure of hazard statement text ................................................................................. 42 Structure of precautionary statement text ...................................................................... 42 General precautionary measures .................................................................................. 43 Tables of label elements from the GHS ......................................................................... 44 Additional non-GHS hazard statements ......................................................................... 95 Appendix D—Guide for selecting generic names ........................................................... 97 Establishing the generic name ...................................................................................... 97 Division of substances into families and sub-families .................................................... 99 Appendix E—Other relevant information ...................................................................... 109 Other relevant codes of practice .................................................................................. 109 Standards applicable to classes of hazardous substances .......................................... 109 List of amendments ........................................................................................................ 116 Preparation of safety data sheets for hazardous chemicals Code of Practice Page 4 of 116 Foreword This Code of Practice about the preparation of safety data sheets for hazardous chemicals is an approved code of practice under section 274 of the Work Health and Safety Act (the WHS Act). An approved code of practice provides practical guidance on how to achieve the standards of work health and safety required under the WHS Act and the Work Health and Safety Regulations (the WHS Regulations). A code of practice can assist anyone who has a duty of care in the circumstances described in the code of practice. Following an approved code of practice will assist the duty holder to achieve compliance with the health and safety duties in the WHS Act and WHS Regulations, in relation to the subject matter of the code of practice. Like regulations, codes of practice deal with particular issues and may not cover all relevant hazards or risks. The health and safety duties require duty holders to consider all risks associated with work, not only those for which regulations and codes of practice exist. Codes of practice are admissible in court proceedings under the WHS Act and WHS Regulations. Courts may regard a code of practice as evidence of what is known about a hazard, risk, risk assessment or risk control and may rely on the code in determining what is reasonably practicable in the circumstances to which the code of practice relates. For further information see the Interpretive Guideline: The meaning of ‘reasonably practicable’. Compliance with the WHS Act and WHS Regulations may be achieved by following another method if it provides an equivalent or higher standard of work health and safety than the code. An inspector may refer to an approved code of practice when issuing an improvement or prohibition notice. Scope and application This Code is intended to be read by a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU). It provides practical guidance to PCBUs on how to prepare safety data sheets for hazardous chemicals that are being manufactured or imported for use, handling or storage in Australia. This Code may be a useful reference for other persons interested in the duties under the WHS Act and WHS Regulations. This Code applies to a person conducting a business or undertaking involved in the manufacture or import of hazardous chemicals that will be used, or could reasonably be expected to be used, in workplaces covered by the WHS Act. How to use this Code of Practice This Code includes references to the legal requirements under the WHS Act and WHS Regulations. These are included for convenience only and should not be relied on in place of the full text of the WHS Act or WHS Regulations. The words ‘must’, ‘requires’ or ‘mandatory’ indicate a legal requirement exists that must be complied with. The word ‘should’ is used in this Code to indicate a recommended course of action, while ‘may’ is used to indicate an optional course of action. Preparation of safety data sheets for hazardous chemicals Code of Practice Page 5 of 116 1. Introduction 1.1. What is a safety data sheet? A safety data sheet (SDS), previously called a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS), is a document that provides critical information about hazardous chemicals. For example, an SDS includes information on: − the chemical's identity and ingredients − health and physical hazards − safe handling and storage procedures − emergency procedures, and − disposal considerations. An SDS is an important tool for assessing and managing the risks associated with the use of hazardous chemicals in workplaces. See Appendix A for the definition of ‘hazardous chemical’ and other terms used in this Code. 1.2. What are the duties in relation to the preparation of safety data sheets? WHS Regulation 330 Manufacturer or importer to prepare