REACH Database for Safety Data Sheets (SDSs) and Workplace Instruction Cards

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

BACKGROUND

Most professional users of chemicals in Greece are insufficiently knowledgeable about the risks products pose to their health and the environment. More than 30% of users are immigrants with limited language skills and know-how of the subject, but it is crucial nevertheless that chemicals are handled in a safer and more environmentally friendly way. One of the causes of occupational accidents in Greece can be attributed to the small percentage of professional users having access to information for understanding risks from chemicals.

European legislation requires industries producing or formulating chemicals to inform professional users about the risks inherent from the use of chemicals by completing safety data sheets and exposure scenarios. Safety data sheets (SDSs) are voluminous documents which contain important safety information, while Workplace Instruction Cards (WICs) for summarise the most important points into a single card that can be placed in the workplace and be immediately available in case of emergency. Thus WICs are useful in case of accidents, but they also provide information regarding safe disposal of packaging.

OBJECTIVES

The READ project aimed to demonstrate a technically feasible and more effective way of communicating safety information throughout the supply chain. The specific project objectives were to:

Develop a public database, where companies which produce/import/formulate chemicals will be able to store and manage their SDSs;

Transform SDSs into brief WICs for the convenience of professional users;

Translate WICs into Albanian, Serbian and Bulgarian, in order to inform immigrant professionals about the risks of chemicals to their health and the environment;

Promote EU Eco-labelled and low-carbon footprint chemical products;

Implement a low carbon project and carry out carbon-neutral events (workshops, seminars etc.);

Develop a methodology that can be easily transferred to other countries in Europe; and

Disseminate project results to national authorities and professional users, in order to persuade more companies to contribute their SDSs, raise the awareness of professional users, reduce injuries and accidents at workplaces, and prevent chemical releases to the environment.

RESULTS

The READ project demonstrated a more effective alternative to the communication of chemicals’ potential risks throughout the supply chain from the manufacturer/importer to the end user (professionals or consumers). The project’s main outcome was a public platform onto which 10 334 SDSs were imported and transformed into 51 670 WICs in five languages: Albanian, Bulgarian, English, Greek and Serbian.

The project informed a significant number of Greek companies and more than 100 000 professional users regarding the changes stemming from Regulation (EC) 1272/2008 on Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP) of substances and mixtures. The project also helped companies implement the Greek legislation on Occupational Health and Safety, and informed them of suitable procedures for the proper disposal of packaging, thus helping implement the Water Framework Directive.

LIFE+READ benefited companies, authorities, industries and consumers by keeping them up to date with European legislation and how it affects them. Through the READ consortium (such as workshops), for example, companies are assisted in setting up a schedule for complying with CLP Regulation. The project, moreover, created a communication channel between the competent authorities and the companies, providing common ground on which they can work together.

The majority of the companies were eager to use the WICs on their production facilities for the safety of their employees. Some participating were already using the WICs in order to raise the awareness of their employees regarding the safe use of chemicals. They have distributed to employees hardcopies of the WICs or have posters of WICs in key areas of the facilities that most of the employees access.

The project also improved the safety of consumers. Through the activities of the READ consortium they were trained on the safe handling and proper disposal of chemical products. Their knowledge of chemical safety and climate change was also improved through questionnaires and quizzes. Such activities indirectly led to a decrease of accidents due to chemical products and assisted in protecting public health and the environment.

Furthermore, the Parsing Tool, along with the evaluation of the READ consortium experts, helped companies to assess the quality of their safety documents, the extent to which the documents affect their supply chains and to identify the possible weak spots of their documents.

After the end of the project, the database will be managed by Hellenic Association Chemical Industries and Hellenic Coatings Association. The costs for hosting the database, the update of its contents and WIC reproduction will come out of their annual budgets. The associations will continue to engage with potential stakeholders to encourage them to provide their SDSs to the platform. They will also look to partner with other European chemical associations for the further dissemination of the database. The objective is also to extend the database to include other chemical products, such as agrochemicals, water treatment chemicals, petrochemicals and polymers. HACI plans to present the database to the Product Stewardship division of CEFIC (European Chemical Industry Council), of which it is a member, in order for it to be feasibly expanded to accommodate SDSs from other EU countries. The beneficiaries note that companies such as Unilever are already paying other companies for SDS management, so there is a potential market for the further development and expansion of the database. At present, however, the database cannot be used for commercial purposes until 2021.

Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report and After-LIFE Communication Plan (see "Read more" section).