Posted By Andy Bennett We have recently changed one of our moulding compounds to a Safer option from the same manufacturer. When requesting an MSDS from then on initial supply of this new material they have responded so; [We dont have a safety sheet for this compound. CHIP regs only require MSDS sheets to be issued when there are dangerous or notifiable ingredients present in a compound and your compounds don't contain any. Where a customer requires MSDS we can only send out the generic sheet that you have been sent. we are currently working on a new 16 point generic MSDS but it will be a while until these are available. ] The problem is that the old generic sheet we have makes reference to the substance that has been removed in order to make the compound safer !! so although we have a safer compound we cannot amend or close out our present risk assesment due to the fact that the MSDS still makes reference to the chemical that has been removed ??? Can someone please clarify if the above responce I received is correct.

Posted By Hilary Charlton Yes, I understand that this is the case, if the product is not harmful then an MSDS is not required. Most manufacturers will now give you one but some are, as in this case, still in the process of being written. Equally, if the product is not classified harmful under CHIP3, then it should not be a hazardous substance for the requirements of COSHH so no assessment required. This is my understanding anyway - hope it helps. Hilary

Posted By Andy Bennett Paul , Hilary.. Thanks for your responces. The scenario is similiar to that which you have just highlighted Paul, the material as supplied is not dangerous etc however it is a rubber silicone compound & when we process this it gives off some dangerous fume which is subject to a WEL.. anyway thanks again. Andy

Posted By Heather Aston They are correct that CHIP only requires a data sheet to be provided as a matter of course if the substance is classified as dangerous for supply. However, they are required to produce safety information for preparations (mixtures of substances) that are not themselves classified but which contain more than 1% of a dangerous substance, which are used at work and where the user has requested it. Could this apply to your material? We supply data sheets for non-classified rubber products all the time. I can modify one to fit any product we make in about 5 minutes - not sure why your supplier seems to think it's so complicated? Heather