A safety data sheet (SDS) or material safety data sheet (MSDS) is an important document that lists information relating to occupational safety and health for the use of various substances and products. An SDS is widely used for cataloguing information on chemicals, chemical compounds and chemical mixtures. SDS information does include instructions for the safe use and potential hazards associated with a particular material or product, along with spill-handling procedures. It’s a corner stone safety document used within the cleaning operations.

An eSDS is the electronic pdf version of the Safety Data Sheet issued by the Seller or producer of the material. It is the responsibility of the Producer/Seller of the product to ensure up-to-date and correct SDS information is shared with its suppliers.

It is the responsibility of the Seller/Producer/Trader to distribute and provide the up-to-date SDS information about its products to be cleaned. Typically, within the eECD cleaning process, this concerns the previous product load information which is required before a tank cleaning starts. The Seller needs to have an eECD licence and upload its product master data together with the SDS info before the ECLIC community actors can access the info related to a previous load.

ECLIC provides the Seller/Producer 3 different options to share SDS information electronically and this together with its product or material master data.

1. eSDS electronic pdf. SDS info is shared as a pdf attachment to each product material
   
   
2. eSDS public website. SDS info is shared via the Seller/Producer website whereby the latest material safety data sheet can be consulted via website. Typically this is a search via the commercial name.
   
   
3. eSDS private cloud : SDS info is shared via the Seller’s external SDS cloud environment. Via the eECD API interface and the required eECD login credentials, every actor is able to access the latest required SDS information in the language and at the level of detail required.

One of the major industry problems today is that the SDS paper information is missing or is outdated creating a safety & health risk at cleaning stations. Often, cleaning companies create an own historical SDS paper filing system. However, new chemical substances and mixtures are commercialized on an “on-going” basis leading to a big paper file that requires an own administration.  Others call in the help of professional SDS bureaus who provide and sell SDS info however this is not free of charge.

In addition, the SDS information needs to be provided in the language of the user and the content could vary from within a country depending on national safety requirements. This makes it even more complex. To manage this complexity, ECLIC advises to use the eSDS private cloud solution as best practice however this depends on the product portfolio of each Seller/producer/trader.

The benefits of an eSDS are:

• Higher safety & responsible care standards by reducing safety risks in case of exposure to previous load products prior cleaning
• Any product in case of tank leftovers can be safely disposed off using the latest SDS info
• No Lost SDS info and reduced administration paper work because the SDS information is real time accessible via the EECD application.
• The latest eSDS information of the previous load is transactionally shared at the moment of cleaning in case the Seller has an eECD Licence
• Any commercial sensitive SDS information can be password protected via the eSDS private cloud solution