Safety data sheet management (SDS) is vital for chemical safety. It serves as the source of information for employees and other stakeholders outlining the hazards of the chemicals and the risks to everyone in the workplace. If you are looking for an improved SDS solution, here are some key attributes to consider.

Compliance

No matter your industry, you must comply with specific environmental health and safety regulations. Otherwise, you not only put your employees and public at risk, but you also risk heavy penalties, fines, closure of your company, increased insurance costs, high employee turnover, and ruined brand reputation. 

For instance, if the Occupational Safety and Health Administration audits your company and discovers compliance issues, you are subject to some penalties. In a case where the auditing officer declares your company negligent to compliance regulations, you risk the closure of your company. 

Luckily having an SDS management system will show that you take all the essential steps to comply and keep the data organized. Therefore you should choose an SDS software that makes it easy to comply with EHS regulations.

Scalability

Using an SDS management software that is not scalable can lead to many complications in the future; therefore, scalability should be a priority. You are expecting your company to grow; for instance, you may produce more chemicals in the future, which is likely to impact your overall performance. 

With a scalable SDS management system, you will have no complications expanding your level of service. In fact, some solutions have no restrictions regarding how far you can scale the software. This is especially important when you have branches in different locations. Therefore remember that the growth of your company also means additional SDS responsibilities.

Remote access

Before, safety data sheets were only stored in a centralized location, most often on-site. That means you had to visit the facility to access archived data or old information. However, remote data access has transformed things. As long as you can remotely access your SDS data, you don’t have to maintain a physical location, and you can be guaranteed that your data is safely stored.

You can also back up the data in several locations so that you won’t have to worry about losing it or any physical damage that may destroy the archives. That makes it easier to comply and manage other obligations.

Continued support

A reliable SDS management software provider will offer you continued support to ensure you can periodically implement new tools and security measures gradually. Manually monitoring your SDS information can make it challenging to improve your workflows, and therefore a high level of support is necessary to remain compliant in your industry. 

If your work involves handling hazardous chemicals, a reliable SDS software can help you access data quickly, including chemical codes, storage locations, and other data to simplify compliance. It is good to ensure that the software provider offers regular updates.

conclusion

Prioritizing your employee safety in the workplace is a priority and an obligation for you as a business owner. Knowing and understanding the standards and regulations is the first step to ensuring a safe work environment.