Hi, I believe that under the CHIP Regs safety data sheets should be revised as and when new information on the substance becomes available. Information could come from manufacturers/suppliers own tests, from medical/scientific research, from experience of use, information from HSE/Government departments and EC assessments. As a consequence manufacturers/suppliers have to keep themselves updated on current health/safety info regarding their products. Cheers Steve

If they are years old then the regulatory information (for example exposure limits) at least is likely to be out of date. Old data sheets also are not always in the current format so don't contain all the required information and sometimes contain some disturbing recommendations such as "induce vomiting" in the first aid section. The msds I see have usually been updated by the manufacturer in the last couple of years (although the changes are usually very minor and don't affect the COSHH assessment). A good supplier will send you the updated msds of their own accord, less good ones will wait for you to ask. So you do need to review them, by contacting the suppliers (or these days often looking on their websites). There is no statutory period so you will need to decide your own, I have come across 1 year, 2 year and 3 year periods between reviews. If the database contains msds for substances that are no longer stored or used, you can cut down on the work involved in the review by archiving them off.