Chemical safety, SDS and labels: what supervisors need to know

Why it matters

Chemicals hurt people in two ways. Some act fast: burns, fires, explosions and poisoning. Others act slowly: dermatitis, asthma, cancer and organ damage years later.

The label and the SDS tell you which one you are dealing with. They also tell you how to store it, what to wear and what to do if it goes wrong. On most sites the information already exists. The problem is that nobody reads it.

Reading a GHS label

Singapore follows the UN Globally Harmonised System (GHS) through Singapore Standard SS 586. A full GHS label carries the same parts on every product.

• Product name, matching the name on the SDS.
• Pictograms. Red-bordered diamonds showing the type of hazard.
• Signal word. "Danger" for the more severe hazards, "Warning" for the less severe.
• Hazard statements describing what the chemical can do to you.
• Precautionary statements saying how to handle it, store it and respond to exposure.
• Supplier details, including an emergency phone number.

Reading an SDS

A GHS safety data sheet always has 16 sections in the same order. You do not need to read all of them on day one. Start with the ones the crew uses most.

• Section 1, Identification. Product name, supplier and emergency number.
• Section 2, Hazards. Classification, pictograms and hazard statements.
• Section 4, First aid. What to do after contact, inhalation or swallowing.
• Section 5 and 6, Fire and spills. Extinguishing media and clean-up methods.
• Section 7, Handling and storage. Safe storage conditions and incompatible materials.
• Section 8, Exposure controls and PPE. Exposure limits, ventilation and the right gloves, goggles or respirator.
• Section 10, Stability and reactivity. What it must not be mixed with or heated near.

Order of controls

Use the SDS to work through these in order. The best answer removes the chemical from the job.

• Eliminate. Ask whether the job needs the chemical at all.
• Substitute. Pick a less hazardous product, a water-based one or a less dusty form.
• Engineer. Use local exhaust ventilation, closed transfer systems and bunded storage.
• Administer. Write safe work procedures, limit the time and the number of people exposed, and keep incompatible chemicals apart.
• PPE. Use the gloves, eye protection and respirator named in section 8. Check the glove material, because the wrong one lets the chemical straight through.

Decanting and workplace labels

Unlabelled bottles cause a large share of chemical injuries. Someone fills a drink bottle with solvent. Someone else picks it up.

Every container you decant into needs a label. Where a full GHS label is not practical, the WSH Council allows a reduced workplace label. It must show at least the product name and the GHS pictogram. It suits containers of 125 ml or less and decanted containers that stay on site. Laboratory chemicals and samples sent for analysis also qualify. Train the people who handle these containers before you use reduced labels.

Never use food or drink containers for chemicals. Ever.

What the rules require

The WSH (General Provisions) Regulations set the duties in Singapore. Regulation 41 puts hazardous substances under the control of a competent person who knows their properties and dangers. Warning notices go at workroom entrances and other suitable spots where the substances are used. They must be in languages all workers understand. Exposed workers must be warned of the hazards and the precautions. Storage, use and disposal must not put anyone at risk.

Regulation 42 requires the occupier to label every container of hazardous substances, so far as reasonably practicable. The labels must conform to the Singapore Standard on classification and labelling, which is SS 586. Other guidance approved by the WSH Council also counts.

Regulation 43 requires the occupier to obtain an SDS for each hazardous substance. You must assess the information and take precautions based on it. You must make the SDS available to everyone liable to be exposed. Sellers must give buyers an accurate SDS. Regulation 44 exempts consumer packages meant for retail sale.

Under regulation 41, a worker who wilfully or recklessly exposes others to hazardous substances commits an offence. The maximum penalty is a $20,000 fine, two years in jail, or both.

Common mistakes

• An SDS file in the office that the night shift cannot reach.
• SDS copies from a different supplier than the product on the shelf.
• Decanted spray bottles with no label, or a label that has washed off.
• Acids stored next to alkalis, or oxidisers next to flammables.
• Generic "chemical gloves" used for every product, whatever section 8 says.
• Labels only in English when half the crew reads Bengali or Tamil.

In other countries

• Malaysia: The CLASS Regulations 2013 require manufacturers, importers and suppliers of chemicals for workplace use to classify, package, label and supply an SDS. DOSH says suppliers must translate the SDS from English into Malay. Only red-bordered pictograms are allowed. Where workers handle chemicals hazardous to health, the USECHH Regulations 2000 also apply.

Use it on site: the chemical safety: sds and labels checklist and the toolbox talk to brief your crew.

Sources

1. Workplace Safety and Health (General Provisions) Regulations (copy hosted by NUS), Ministry of Manpower (via NUS).
2. Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals, WSH Council.
3. GHS booklet (Singapore), WSH Council.
4. GHS Checklist, WSH Council.
5. Frequently Asked Questions for CLASS Regulations, DOSH Malaysia.

This is practical guidance, not legal advice. Laws and codes of practice change; always check the current official text and your site's own procedures.