GHS SDS conversion Guide

1. !
!
!
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GHS SDS Conversion Service:!
The Right Choice For You

2. SDS Software or Conversion
Services?!
!
Converting your MSDSs to SDSs requires a big choice:
should you look for SDS authoring software or should you
find a company to perform the conversions for you? There’s
no one “right answer” – only the right answer for you.!
!
Many first gravitate toward purchasing software, for a few
reasons. Companies are rightfully interested in preserving
their trade secrets, and may not trust an external partner
with their proprietary formulas. Some may requires total
control over the conversion process to accommodate an
inflexible schedule and exacting specifications.!
!
Hiring a service partner also means a potential increase in
communication time to get the job done right – you may
have to confer with someone outside your business each time
you want changes made. Keeping it in-house seems like a
much faster process.!
!
This freedom a double-edged sword, though. Being able to
make changes yourself means you will have to make the
changes yourself. With a conversion partner, you can convey
your ideas and let them do the dirty work.!
!
Conversion services are mainly preferable to some people for
this reason: time and effort savings. When you work with a
conversion partner you are exporting both your files AND
your workload.!
!
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3. Another important aspect of the conversion vs. software
decision is cost. Software prices can run in the tens of
thousands of dollars, with separate support and training fees.
For companies that frequently add new products or have
more than 400 sheets to convert, purchasing software is
advantageous as licenses typically last several years and covers
all your bases over time.!
!
At volume-based prices, conversion typically costs less than
$200 sheet, with nominal fees for label elements, different
SDS formats, and translation services. For companies with
fewer than 400 MSDSs to convert, this is the better option
simple from a cost standpoint. Also, if you don’t foresee
frequent product additions, conversion services are also a
great choice. The commitment lasts only as long as you need
it, so you’re not stuck with overhanging or unnecessary fees.!
!
We understand that this decision requires careful
consideration (and that there is a pesky, looming deadline
that means the clock is ticking for you to make it). If you are
interested in finding out more, please contact Quantum for a
software demo or to try a sample conversion!!
!
5 Things You Should Know
During GHS Conversion !
!
The basic idea of the UN’s Globally Harmonized System of
Classification and Labeling of Chemicals is simple: it exists
create a standard format for all safety data sheets to follow
worldwide in order to improve safety and facilitate
international trade. In practice, however, the process is very
nuanced and can be difficult to navigate. Below are a few of
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4. the nuances you should be aware of during the MSDS to SDS
conversion process.!
!
1. SDS authoring is an incredibly time-consuming process"
!
No matter how many sheets you may have, the creation of
new GHS SDSs will take a significant amount of time away
from your company. The authoring process alone takes an
average of 5.41 hours per sheet, which quickly adds up, but
it’s not the only part of the movement to total GHS
compliance that takes time. Considering conversion options,
learning about the GHS, and setting up a system for
implementing the new SDSs into your system will all take
time. As such, you need to get a start on defining your
options for the process as quickly as you can.!
!
…but it doesn’t have to be your time."
!
Although every sheet takes hours to move from its original
material safety data sheet format to a completely GHS-
compliant safety data sheet, if you use a conversion service
like Quantum’s you won’t have to put in any of these hours on
your own. By outsourcing the conversion and authoring
process, you and your company can make it so you don’t have
to put in any effort toward creating the new SDSs after you
sign a contract and send in your current MSDSs. We also get
your sheets back to you in 4 weeks or less per batch,
guaranteed, so you can get to working with the new SDSs as
soon as possible.!
!
2. There is much more to GHS compliance than a format
change"
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5. !
Although there is a strict set of GHS format requirements,
meeting these guidelines in no way fills standards for
complete GHS compliance. Crucial new elements of the
safety data sheet will fall under hazard classifications,
corresponding hazard warning statements and pictograms,
and processes that integrate your company’s unique phrases
with ones that the standard mandates.!
!
…but all you’ll need to know is how to read the new
elements"
!
The new GHS standard prescribes certain elements and
classifications that were never included on any previous
MSDS formats. The process of determining these is long and
requires total knowledge of every step and every way to get
to every possible outcome, but luckily you won’t have to deal
with any of the specifics except those that you’ll need to
incorporate the new GHS SDSs into your company. You
won’t have to deal with the bridging principles or the hazard
classification definitions or assign the level of hazard severity.
All you will need to do when you use a conversion service is
focus your energy on your daily workload and how to include
the new GHS SDSs within that.!
3. Converting MSDSs on your own may be more work
than you can handle"
!
Without setting up a complete and complex system for
determining label elements, the conversion process is almost
impossible to carry out in-house. The new GHS hazard
classifications come in gradients and are based on a system of
equations that decide the chemical at hand’s hazard potential
based on what is known as the blending principle. Although
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6. you can certainly estimate where certain chemicals should be
classified based on their observable hazards, there is no way
to be certain without setting up a system of your own to
calculate its exact hazard class precisely.!
!
…but you don’t have to do it on your own"
!
Not only is MSDS to SDS conversion time consuming, but it
also requires a sizeable amount of resources and manpower to
complete in-house. For very large corporations, this may be
the best option, but the majority of companies can’t weave
SDS authoring into their daily operations without making
major changes. Luckily, Quantum and other companies can
offer you conversion services that remove the burden from
your hands. You won’t have to make any changes if you go
with a conversion service that can offer you a hands-off
process, where you send us your MSDSs and we send you
back the SDSs in whatever format will work best within your
company.!
!
4. The process will be expensive"
!
There’s no getting around it: GHS conversion is expensive.
Your company will most likely experience costs in the
thousands or tens of thousands of dollars as you move toward
complete compliance. Quantum offers a payment plan to
help you manage the cost over time, but GHS
standardization still will have to figure heavily into your
financial calculations for the future. If you haven’t started
thinking about the actual process yet, you should definitely
begin planning your budget for the eventual cost of
conversion as soon as possible.!
!
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7. …but that expense doesn’t have to happen all at once"
!
Unfortunately, there’s not much we can do to lessen the
actual cost of conversion besides offering you competitive
pricing and working with you to help find an option that’s
within your budget. To help you manage the cost, though,
Quantum offers a payment plan that we can spread out across
months so that you can afford conversion. We know you may
not have what is likely to amount to thousands or tens of
thousands of dollars up front, but we want to help you to
manage that across many months. Your company’s financial
needs can be met, and we want to help you meet them in the
easiest way possible. !
!
5. GHS compliance doesn’t end at SDSs"
!
If you store chemicals at your facility, you likely are already
aware that you will need to reformat and update the labels on
those chemicals. Quantum provides safety labels as well as
the safety data sheets you need for compliance. The
information on chemical labels and SDSs, the guidelines for
all of which stem from GHS, covers safety precautions for
proper handling and usage based on the hazard
classifications. It also deals with storage and transportation
precautions, however, sections that should never be
overlooked.!
!
Complete compliance is not just documentation, though.
While labels and SDSs are the most visible way to meet the
standard, your company must also be fully trained in GHS
regulations and have a complete system in place to use the
new sheets and labels by the end of 2015. Overall, there is
much more than meets the eye to the basic processes of
GHS.!
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8. !
…but our services don’t end there either"
!
Complete compliance is not just safety data sheets: it
includes labels, label information, safety guidelines, and
storage precautions. This all may seem overwhelming, since
you’ve probably just started thinking about the sheets
themselves, but we can help. Quantum can create the GHS
hazard classification pictograms that are a key component of
GHS hazard labels for you, and we can print all relevant label
information. We compile information from the GHS about
your chemical’s safety precautions and storage instructions.
We provide all label elements for you, so that instead of
buying preprinted labels you can print your own labels – as
many or as few as you need, instead of a prescribed amount.!
!
Although the GHS deadline is coming soon, there is no need
to panic. While the realities of the process may seem
disheartening, Quantum is here to help you get through it as
easily and quickly as possible.!
!
The Hidden Processes of GHS
Conversion!
!
The new GHS standards are likely leaving you and your
company thinking about conversion and conversion only. But
conversion itself is not the only service that you will need,
however, and so Quantum offers many corollary GHS SDS
compliance services to help you meet the June 2015 deadline
easily and with as little effort as possible required from your
company’s end.!
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9. Converting your company’s MSDSs to GHS formatted SDSs
brings with it several smaller projects inherent to the process.
Simply changing the formatting of a traditional material
safety data sheet does not render it completely compliant
with new standards. Many elements of the new GHS safety
data sheets are not required of the former MSDSs, and so
compliance services like Quantum’s must work to insert
those features into the sheets we deliver to you at the end of
the conversion process.!
!
One good example of the side processes involved comes in
the GHS requirement for new sets of words that must be
included on all safety data sheets and GHS hazard labels for
chemicals. Hazard statements were not standardized
previous to the 2012 revision of the UN GHS, and so
authoring your company’s SDSs will necessitate an
examination of the substance or mixture’s hazards and the
assignment of the corresponding GHS hazard statement.
This process, however, is not actually included in the basic
“conversion” one, instead acting as its own supplementary
project. It is a small part of the total SDS authoring process,
but is essential to total GHS compliance and so your
company cannot afford to overlook it during the conversion
process. Using services such as Quantum’s can help you to
ensure that every single part of the SDS compliance process
is completed in an efficient and comprehensive way, using
intensive professional standards to exempt your company
from the need to spend time and resources examining each
document carefully.!
!
Of those hazard statements, in fact, 30% of the total
presented material can be of your company’s own offering.
You will be able to retain a few of the phrases your customers
are comfortable with, to ensure a smooth transition between
formats. However, the other 70% will still have to be based !
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10. on the GHS hazard classifications. When we begin the
process of creating GHS SDSs based on your old MSDSs, a
key part that you may not realize is separating the statements
specific to your company from generic ones your MSDSs
include. This is a service that is completely different from the
actual conversion process, and it is one that requires a lot of
time and energy for precise completion.!
!
The new GHS statements are based on hazard classifications,
which are dependent on the hazards inherent to a chemical
or mixture. The testing requirements for GHS are new: only
pure substances require testing, but those tests can be old
ones whose results are just interpreted for GHS classification
– no new tests are required. Mixtures, on the other hand, do
not require any tests at all. Rather, their hazard classifications
are based on a complex system of calculations to determine
which characteristics of the substance’s components it will
display. Precision in this area is critical, so as not to
overclassify or underclassify the chemical, and so it is
important to conduct the MSDS to SDS process using a
service with a comprehensive algorithm like the one
Quantum’s team has developed to perfectly place your
chemical in the right hazard classification groups.!
!
In a similar capacity, Quantum prides itself on being able to
offer your company other small but essential services like
checking physical properties and GHS phrases, assigning
chemicals to one or more of the new hazard classifications,
and many others. When your company approaches the
conversion process, you should look for a way to create the
new GHS SDS in the lowest amount of steps possible, and so
should find a system that offers every part of complete SDS
authoring while requiring no more than one step for your
company.!
!
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11. What’s the True Cost of SDS
Conversion?!
!
Complete GHS SDS conversion is a daunting task for any
company to undertake in-house, predominantly because of
the time and costs associated. Those costs, however, are an
investment for the future and will even repay themselves in
the future, giving your company a net overall gain.!
!
Before we can look at the financial benefits, however, it is
important to know what the real costs of conversion are. The
United States’ Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) estimated the annualized
compliance cost over the three years between the passage of
the Globally Harmonized System and its mandatory
implementation date would be about $97 million per year –
only slightly short of $300 million overall.!
!
There is no denying the immensity of that figure, but it is a
fairly reasonable one when broken down. Spread over 90,000
companies in the US, there are several subcategories within
that overall sum. The least of these, actually, is the conversion
itself – OSHA estimated in 2012 that only about $11 million
annually would be spent classifying chemical hazards and
revising MSDSs and chemical labels to the new GHS
standards.!
!
The rest of the cost will be (and much already has been)
spent on training and implementation. The OSHA estimates
that $44 million per year, $132 million overall, will be spent
on training workers to understand the new classification
systems and hazard labeling as well as the new format of !
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12. safety data sheets. The remaining $42 million per year falls
under the category of management training, including that
required to familiarize management with hazard
classifications and new GHS SDS formatting, the system as a
whole, and to create any systems necessary for
implementation of the new GHS system within each
industry.!
!
Those costs, however, are expected to be covered completely
by the rewards of the transition to GHS formatted labeling
and SDSs. The revised OSHA Hazard Communication
Standard has projected savings of between $750 and $800
million annually, which can also be broken down into
subcategories as well.!
!
Since one of the primary goals of the UN’s Globally
Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of
Chemicals is to provide a standardized (and therefore safer)
method of communicating hazards to workers and chemical
users, its biggest savings will come in that area, with savings
stemming mainly from productivity improvements for health
and safety personnel. The rest of the savings will be made up
by the reduced costs of updating safety data sheets and
hazard labels in the future, by the prevention of on-the-job
illnesses, illnesses, and fatalities due to flaws in hazard
labeling, and by simplifications to general hazard safety
training.!
!
So, the cost of conversion is steep, but its financial benefits
far outweigh those costs. The earlier that you and your
company begin conversion, the earlier you can start to cash
in on those future savings, as the revised safety data sheets
will provide your company with a system that protects both
its employees and its budget.!
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13. (Sources: https://www.osha.gov/as/opa/facts-hcs-ghs.html!
https://www.osha.gov/dsg/hazcom/hazcom-faq.html)!
!
SDS Conversion: Should We Do
it Ourselves?!
!
Converting your SDS requires more than chewing through
the Purple Book. You must consider the opportunity cost
when you shift resources for one priority over the other. So,
is it worth it to do it in-house?!
!
YES, if you:
!
• Have internal resources for the time required to perform
conversion,!
• Are knowledgeable about the regulatory ramifications and
rule sets of the GHS classification of chemicals and labels,!
• Understand the nuances between regulatory templates and
country-specific guidelines, AND!
• Take the time to study the 3rd edition of the Purple Book
(5th revision published in 2013).!
!
NO, if you:
!
• Do not meet one or all of the above criteria,!
• Manage an operation that is resource-constrained, and the
cost for allocating existing resources to perform GHS
conversion is higher than outsourcing it.!
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14. MAYBE if you:
!
• Meet the criteria under the “Yes” section,!
• Have fewer than 150 MSDSs that require conversion, or!
• Are willing to approve overtime so your staff can deliver the
conversion work while fulfilling their daily responsibilities.!
!
About Quantum!
!
Quantum Compliance provides web-based Environmental
Health and Safety (EH&S) software solutions that help
businesses implement and maintain compliant and
sustainable EH&S practices. Founded in 1985 by a team of
environmental engineering and computer science
professionals, Quantum’s EH&S
Information Management Systems
enable users to effectively store,
retrieve, and analyze EH&S data.!
!
Quantum Compliance developed a
comprehensive MSDS authoring
software three decades ago. Now,
Quantum’s SDS Conversion
Service (QSDS) also help
companies convert MSDS to GHS
SDS. Equipped with three decades of
EHS experience, QSDS can help your
company have a smooth transition to
GHS compliance.
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