Maybe you are going to say that I am bound to be pushing freely available safety data – PIP Chemicals Limited leads the way here – so of course! But every competent individual in the chemical industry will agree with me. Safety data is there to protect the consumer. If you are supplying the consumers, then the availability of this data is critical also to protect you. Not your problem? Think again. Maybe you haven’t worried or taken the time to see what the HSE does. Yes, they prosecute people for failures like this. It won’t happen to you? Well if your chemical gets into someone’s eye and they suffer damage to their vision and you didn’t have the data to hand to medical professionals – well it’s just happened to you!
This all sounds very negative, but it isn’t. Every good manufacturer will have an abundance of information that can make sure that both you and your customers are safe and compliant with the regulations. One of the most basic requirements is Safety Data Sheets(SDS).
Why do I need an SDS?
It tells you everything you need to know to keep safe. Moreover, you need it to complete your Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) assessments. Contrary to popular belief, these are not optional. If you are running a business, you must do these assessments. To do the assessment, you need an SDS. Simple as that. You then need to keep it on hand as it contains information critical to medical professionals, should an incident occur.
Where do I get an SDS?
Easy – your supplier! It is their obligation. It is not optional. They cannot argue that it might divulge information about the content of the product and thus not supply. The information is in this REACH SDS documentation. Loosely, unless your product is non-hazardous and contains very little or no hazardous components, you cannot refuse to supply an SDS. This applies to PIP Chemicals Limited, it applies to BASF and it applies to Halfords. Everyone who is doing it right, will supply an SDS, without argument.
So where are we going with this?
My hope is to spread the word to those who are being misled by cowboy suppliers. Only today, we learn that another very well known brand in the detailing sector makes their SDS so hard to obtain that a long standing professional user has never seen one. I won’t name them.
But it’s time we stopped this.
It doesn’t matter who you are, you have the right to access the safety data and we need to start telling cowboy brands that we won’t take their nonsense. PIP Chemicals Limited ultimately supplies and services detailers and we want to make things better for you. So we ask for your help. Please share this message. Share on Linkedin and Facebook, talk about it in closed groups and on Detailing World. I am not looking for a kickback, I just want to help us get things right. So please, help us to help you!
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