Regulation (EU) 2020/878: Revised Requirements for EU Safety Data Sheets

Little Pro on 2020-07-01

On 25 Jun 2020, the European Commission published Regulation (EU) 2020/878 amending the annex II of REACH regulation. The annex II of REACH regulation sets the content and format requirements for chemical safety data sheets in the EU. The new regulation means that there will be revised requirements for SDSs for the EU market. In this article, we would like to give you a brief summary of what the main changes are.

General Requirements

The following two general requirements are new:

The language used in the safety data sheet shall be simple, clear and precise, avoiding jargon, acronyms and abbreviations. Statements such as “may be dangerous”, “no health effects”, “safe under most conditions of use” or “harmless” or any other statements indicating that the substance or mixture is not hazardous or any other statements that are inconsistent with the classification of that substance or mixture shall not be used.
All pages of a safety data sheet, including any annexes, shall be numbered and shall bear either an indication of the length of the safety data sheet (such as “page 1 of 3”) or an indication whether there is a page following (such as “Continued on next page” or “End of safety data sheet”).

Section 1: Identification of Substances/Mixtures

Substances in nanoforms: If the safety data sheet pertains to one or more nanoforms, or substances that include nanoforms, this shall be indicated by using the word “nanoform” in product identifier in the section 1 of SDSs.
Unique formula identifier: Where a mixture has a unique formula identifier (UFI) in accordance with section 5 of Part A of Annex VIII to Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 and that UFI is indicated in the safety data sheet, then the UFI shall be provided in section 1.

Section 2: Hazard Identification

TThe communication through the supply chain for endocrine disruptors will be improved.Not only information on whether the substance meets the criteria for persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic or very persistent and very bioaccumulative should be given in section 2.3 other hazards, information on whether the substance was included in the list established in accordance with Article 59(1) for having endocrine disrupting properties, and whether the substance is a substance identified as having endocrine disrupting properties.

For a mixture, information shall be provided for each such substance that is present in the mixture at a concentration equal to or greater than 0,1 % by weight.

Enforcement

The new regulation comes into force on 1 Jan 2021. Existing SDSs can be used until 31 December 2022.

Reference

Commission Regulation (EU) 2020/878 of 18 June 2020 amending Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH)

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