The attention of European authorities towards the quality of safety data sheets remains high, and the most recent inspection results confirm that the issue is anything but secondary. In a coordinated EU-level enforcement project, ECHA has made it known that 35% of the checked SDS were found to be non-compliant. The Agency also specified that, although there was an improvement compared to previous inspection projects, significant criticalities remain in the quality of information transmitted along the supply chain.
This datum deserves particular attention because it highlights an increasingly clear shift in perspective by the authorities. It is not sufficient that the safety data sheet formally exists: it must be correct, complete, consistent with the product classification, and updated in accordance with the regulations in force.
The inspection results also suggest that the problem does not exclusively concern marginal operators or exceptional contexts. Non-compliance of SDS remains a widespread phenomenon, which can derive from content errors, missing updates, incomplete information, or misalignments with the labeling and product classification.
