MSDS Information

Material Safety Data Sheets and Chemical Labelling Information

What is COSHH?

Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH) is the law that requires employers to control substances that are hazardous to health.

Employers can prevent or reduce exposure to hazardous substances by:

Finding out what the health hazards are.
Deciding how to prevent harm to health by carrying out a risk assessment.
Providing control measure to reduce harm to health, making sure they are used and are in good working order.
Providing information, instruction and training for employees and others.
Planning for emergencies.

All products must be labelled under the UN Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) and implemented via the EU Classification, Labelling and Packing Regulation (CLP).

What is CLP?

The CLP Regulation ensures standardisation of classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures. The classification does not restrict, ban or limit the use of substance or mixture but, as chemical classification is a fundamental part of the safe management, handling and use of chemicals, it is often used as a starting point for other specific controls or protective measures, such as storage.

What are Material Safety Data sheets (MSDS or SDS)?

Material Safety Data Sheets are required by the REACH Regulation.

MSDS are key documents in the safe supply, handling and use of chemicals. They should help to ensure those who use chemicals in the workplace do so safely without risk of harm to users or the environment. The data sheet contains the information necessary to allow employers to do a risk assessment, as required by the COSHH Regulations and help to assess the probability of hazards arising in the workplace.

MSDS are a must if a chemical is hazardous and is being supplied to used at work, whether in packages or not. MSDS are also needed if your chemical is not classified as hazardous but contains small amounts of a hazardous substance(s).

County Supplies maintians an electronic library of MSDS for each of the classified products which we supply, ranging from classroom art paints to cleaning chemicals.

How can I obtain a MSDS?

Classified products have a downloadable MSDS linked to the product details online. Simply search for the product, click through to the product details page and scroll down and click the PDF download, export or save.

Chemical Labelling Symbols and Meanings