How to Properly Check a Safety Data Sheet for Shipping Hazardous Materials

A Safety Data Sheet helps you understand a chemical product, but it does not by itself prove that a shipment is ready to travel. In Great Britain, the consignor is responsible for classifying, marking and packaging dangerous goods correctly. The detailed rules depend on whether the goods move by road, rail, sea or air.

Use the SDS to collect the product information, then check that information against the current transport rules and the actual package in front of you. If the classification is unclear, stop and ask the supplier or a competent dangerous-goods adviser. Do not guess from the product name or hazard pictograms.

1. Confirm that the SDS matches the product

Start with Section 1. Compare the product identifier, supplier and intended use with the label and order documents. A similar trade name is not enough. Different grades, concentrations or formulations can have different classifications and transport requirements.

Check the issue or revision date in Section 16 and make sure the SDS is the current version supplied for that exact product. Our guide to comparing Safety Data Sheets explains how to review revisions without mixing information from different products.

2. Read the transport information in Section 14

Section 14 should state the basic transport classification for road, rail, sea, inland waterway and air, where relevant. Check for:

• the UN number or identification number;
• the UN proper shipping name;
• the transport hazard class and any subsidiary hazard;
• the packing group, where one is assigned;
• environmental hazards, including marine-pollutant status where relevant;
• special precautions, tunnel codes or other mode-specific information.

A blank entry or “not regulated” statement still needs to match the product, concentration, package size and transport mode. Limited-quantity or other exemptions have conditions; they are not a general release from the rules.

3. Cross-check the hazards and physical properties

Do not read Section 14 in isolation. Compare it with Section 2 (hazards identification), Section 7 (handling and storage), Section 9 (physical and chemical properties) and Section 10 (stability and reactivity). Flash point, temperature controls, incompatibilities or the risk of dangerous reactions may affect how the goods are packed, segregated and carried.

If the sections contradict one another, contact the supplier before shipping. Choosing the most convenient entry is not a safe way to resolve a discrepancy.

4. Verify that the packaging is permitted

The package must be suitable for the substance and the assigned packing group. Many dangerous goods require UN-approved packaging that has passed specified performance tests. Check the packaging code, condition, closures and compatibility with the contents. Damage, corrosion, contamination or an incorrect closure can make an otherwise approved package unsuitable.

Secure inner packaging, use absorbent or cushioning material where the applicable packing instruction requires it, and do not combine incompatible goods in the same package or load. The HSE packaging guidance explains how classification and packing group lead to the permitted packaging instructions.

5. Check marks, labels and the transport document

Package marks and hazard labels communicate the transport risk to carriers and emergency responders. Confirm that the UN number, proper shipping name and required labels are present, legible and placed correctly. These are transport marks and labels; the workplace label described in Section 2 of the SDS does not replace them.

For a standard road consignment, the transport document normally records the UN number, proper shipping name, class, packing group where assigned, package count and description, quantity, consignor and consignee. Extra information can apply to particular classes, wastes, empty uncleaned packaging, temperature-controlled goods or other special cases. HSE lists the core entries in its consignment procedures.

6. Confirm competence and emergency arrangements

People who classify, pack, load, document or carry dangerous goods need training appropriate to their duties. Some businesses must appoint a Dangerous Goods Safety Adviser. Drivers may also need ADR training, depending on the load and any exemptions.

Before dispatch, make sure workers know what to do if a package leaks, is damaged or is involved in an incident. Sections 4, 5 and 6 of the SDS cover first aid, firefighting and accidental release. Those details should support a practical emergency plan, not sit unread in a folder.

A short pre-dispatch check

• The SDS matches the exact product, supplier, grade and concentration.
• The revision is current and any attached exposure scenario has been considered.
• Section 14 information has been verified against the current rules for the transport mode.
• The packaging is compatible, undamaged, correctly closed and approved where required.
• Marks, labels and documentation all use the same classification details.
• Segregation, quantity limits and temperature controls have been checked.
• Trained people and emergency arrangements are in place.

The UK Government's moving dangerous goods guidance gives an overview of the classification and duty-holder requirements. HSE also explains what an SDS does, and what it does not do, in its Safety Data Sheets guidance.

The consignor remains responsible for checking that the product information and shipment meet the current transport requirements.