5 Reasons to Digitize Safety Data Sheets

Facilities that store and manage extremely hazardous chemicals (EHS) are subject to EPCRA Tier II reporting requirements and must submit Safety Data Sheets and inventory information to the SERC, LEPC, and the local fire department. These essential documents provide emergency planners and responders with the information they need to effectively and safely respond to an emergency at their facility.

To get the information needed for timely chemical inventory reporting for Tier II compliance, accurate and well-managed Safety Data Sheets are needed. Unfortunately, many EHS professionals are still spending much of their time digging through emails, spreadsheets, and binders filled with dusty, outdated SDSs that don’t provide the crucial information facilities and first responders need.

Thankfully, cutting through the chaos and bringing clarity to managing and updating Tier II Safety Data Sheets is possible. When EHS teams centralize and digitize the information enterprise-wide, they say goodbye to the never-ending struggle of SDS management and give stakeholders at every level the ability to access the information where and when they need it.

Organizations that digitize their Tier II Safety Data Sheets will see these five benefits.

1. Gain quicker access to safety data sheets

If an EHS managers’ SDS library consists of scattered paper trails that live in physical binders or PDFs, spread across personal computers and email, they’re more likely to get a paper cut or a headache than find the information they need as quickly as they need it. These issues only grow for larger organizations with many facilities scattered across multiple states. However, when SDS management is digitized, everything is centralized in one searchable location, so stakeholders can have ready access to the information they need instantly and not waste time looking for data that is misplaced.

2. Report clean, accurate Tier II safety data sheets

Many EHS teams that still maintain a paper-based SDS library are in rough shape and most likely have repetitive or outdated documents. Over time, chemical manufacturers may adjust or add new chemicals to the composition of their products. Without the most recent SDS, their company may be under or over-reporting existing chemicals or not reporting new additions.

Unfortunately, traditional SDS management systems offer no easy way to clean up and update Tier II chemical inventories, especially across the entire organization and multiple facilities. However, duplicates and outdated documents are easier to spot when digitized, leading to a cleaner, more compliant SDS that is ready to submit. Accurate SDS reporting also means providing emergency planners and first responders with timely and correct data that will allow them to protect lives, manage panic, and provide effective communication if an emergency incident ever arises.

3. Pull and update safety data sheets in bulk

Pulling and updating SDS information in bulk is challenging when everything is on paper, but even when using PDFs. Often EHS managers must open every SDS to find the information they need. Using specialized SDS management systems that centralizes and standardizes a company’s chemical product library simplifies those tasks necessary for Tier II compliance.

Also, as new chemicals arrive and others are used up or moved out, digitizing and centralizing the product library provides EHS teams visibility over the chemicals they have on site. Now they can keep a closer, more accurate account of changes to chemical thresholds in real-time, throughout the year, instead of checking PDFs individually.

4. Improve communication and collaboration

Because SDSs are not connected between systems used within an organization, EHS managers often need to download from one system to upload to another. This movement creates the unintended risk of developing inaccurate copies of SDSs, a compliance risk. Digital SDS management systems allow for intercommunication between systems, eliminating this issue.

5. Minimize time-consuming administrative tasks and errors

EHS managers must continuously monitor product inventory to comply with changing thresholds and requirements for chemical reporting for Tier II. Unfortunately, many do this by manually opening each SDS to get the needed information. Not only is this time-consuming, but it also runs the risk of incorrect hand-entered data. Digital SDS management systems have the ability to integrate data from various systems into a single source, take the human factor out, and provide users with data they can feel confident about.

A modern solution to an age-old problem

SDS digitization makes Tier II reporting faster, simpler, and more accurate by centralizing and standardizing a company’s chemical product library to ensure EPCRA compliance. Learn more about Encamp’s EPCRA Solution that streamlines and automates 302 notifications, 311 notifications, and Tier II reporting.

Transforming compliance

Encamp is on a mission to create a world where good for business can equal good for the environment. We help enterprises transform compliance programs and human processes into a technology-driven system that lays the foundation for accurate and ongoing environmental compliance through a blended method of intelligent high-tech solutions and high-touch expert support.